Sacrifice
by Zaralecki
Summary: When the team is captured by the Joker in Gotham, Joker wants his birdie back. Robin surrenders himself to torture to save his team. A LOT OF ROBIN!WHUMPAGE! T for violence. COVER IS NOT MINE, it's by just-whelmed.  Now finished.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**

**Hey guys! I know I really should add a second chap to the Tenacious Trio, but I've had this in my head for a while now; not really sure where it came from, I think something like this happened in some book I might have read and I read a LOT of books soooo ;)**

**It might be a two-shot or three-shot, depending on whether you guys like it or not.**

**OMG, the new ep. I LOVED IT!But they didn't have NEARLY enough Boy Wonder WHYYYYYYYY? He was knocked out like two minutes into the fight and I was like NOOOOOOOOO ROBINNNNN! And at the end, where he was trying to comfort Zatanna as Zatara put on the helmet…I melted. We even got a eensy bit of Robin whump (omg I'm such a sadist)!And after that, where he looked back before walking out of the room made me want to glomp him…and then, THERE WAS NO FRIGGIN DADDYBATS HUG OR HAND-ON-THE-SHOULDER OR ANYTHING!GAHHHHH!**

**And did you guys hear about how eps 20-22 were leaked on Turkish websites?…I flipped. I told myself I wouldn't watch them, but I kinda did o.O I skipped around, so I technically didn't watch the whole thing.**

**Anyways, I'm ranting.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'**

**~Zara**

**Warnings: none for this chapter, really. Maybe a creepy obsession with Robin from the Joker.**

**PS. I remember that in "Terrors," the inhibitor collars didn't stop M'gann's telepathic abilities, but they do in here for the sake of the plot.**

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><p><em>How did this happen?<em>

That's what was going through the whole teams' minds as they watched the crazed, blood-thirsty man draw closer to their bound bodies. He was smiling-if you could call that manic grin a smile-as he stopped in front of Robin.

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><p>It was supposed to be a simple covert mission; that's how they were all supposed to be. The team had been sent to stop a drug deal in a rundown garage located in the southern part of Gotham. Batman, after some simple research, had found that the "drugs" being sold were actually vials of Bane's very own Venom.<p>

The team had jumped into action, taking the unsuspecting sellers and buyers down with ease. Then, a small device dropped in front of them. Robin had recognized it immediately, but before he could warn the others, a green colored gas seeped out from the gadget. The next moment, the team felt themselves become weak and drowsy. Through his foggy vision, Robin glanced up to see none other than the Joker crouched upon one of the support beams of the garage. The clown cackled and waved his fingers as, one by one, the team dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Artemis, and Robin awoke to find themselves lying on the ground, bound, next to one another. Everyone besides Robin jumped when the Joker suddenly appeared in their line of vision, giggling eerily.

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><p>Now, the team watched warily as the crazed clown approached their youngest member. His greasy green hair hung in front of his green eyes.<p>

"Finally!" he cackled, licking his blood red lips as he stared at Robin. "Do you know how long it's been since I've seen you, Boy Blunder?"

Robin glared from his prone position. "You saw me a few weeks ago, Joker," he growled. "When we fought and broke up your little Injustice League."

The Joker cackled again. "No, no, no silly! I mean _here_, in good ol' Gotham! All I ever see is Mr. Grumpy Pants. I've missed you, Robbie-poo! Why don't you miss me, your Uncle J?" he asked, his eyes gleaming.

"I'm part of a team now, as you can see, Joker. Now what do you want?" Robin snarled. Joker frowned.

"Well, isn't that obvious, Robbie? I want you! You've grown up so…nicely…" he breathed. He bent down and ran a hand over Robin's well-developed chest. The team stiffened as the Joker continued to caress the Boy Wonder.

"And I barely get to see you," Joker finished.

Superboy spoke for the first time, angered at the gleam he saw in the Joker's eyes as he touched Robin's body. "Why are you even here? This is Bane's gig," he hissed.

The Joker turned to him. "The Blue Buffoon's brat, are you? To answer your question, this was never Banie's gig. I overheard these dummies taking about a drug exchange," Joker gestured to the unconscious drug dealers, "so I spread word that they were swapping Venom. I knew Batsy would send Boy Blunder and his little team to stop it- and he did! He fell for it!"

The Joker bent over and wheezed with laughter. Then, stopping abruptly, he straightened up.

"Aren't you kiddies wondering why none of you can get loose? Take a closer look."

The team glanced at each other before looking down at themselves.

Superboy had a sizeable chunk of Kryptonite strapped to his chest along with the ropes tied around his ankles, wrists, and torso. He cursed as he struggled, feeling useless and fatigued.

Aqualad and Miss Martian had inhibitor collars around their necks, like the ones that were used on the prisoners in Bell Rev and the animals they had fought in India. They too had heavy-duty rope around their wrists, legs, and chests.

Kid Flash had several layers or ropes around him to ensure that he couldn't vibrate through them even if he tried.

Artemis's bow and quiver were gone, as were Robin's utility belt, gloves, and even the knife he kept hidden in his left boot. Their weapons were tossed in the farthest corner of the dank garage. The two humans were secured with regular rope. The Joker had neglected the removal of the teams' comm units, but without the use of their hands, they were useless.

Joker saw the looks of disbelief cross the faces of the team and howled with laughter again. "I've always kept a stock of Kryptonite with me…not hard to find when you have the connections that I do," he said, nodding to Superboy. "And that dear lad, what's his name…oh yes, that Mr. Riddler! He kindly lent me a few of those wonderful dog collars on Fish Boy and Miss Green. I'm sure you all know what they do," he giggled.

"What is it that you want, Joker?" Aqualad asked calmly. The Joker cackled and Superboy growled; did this man ever stop giggling?

"I like you, Fish Boy. You've got some manners. As to what I want," the Joker suddenly looked murderous and M'gann gave a small whimper. "I want Wonder Boy back in Gotham. It's because of you five that he isn't here as often. And for that, you will pay," he hissed.

He then proceeded to drag the teens over to the wall of the garage. One by one, he propped them up so that they were sitting with their backs against the wall. All of them but Robin struggled as the Joker watched. He appeared to be in thought.

"Hmm…I can't decide which one to choose…Do I want to hear Robbie's team scream? Or Boy Blunder himself? I haven't heard you sing for me in _such_ a long time, birdie. I've tried getting the Bat to do it, but you know how he is. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn…" he said, clicking his tongue. He looked at the teams' faces. He snickered when he saw the pure fear on Miss Martian's face.

"What's the matter, girly? Scared of Uncle J?"

M'gann shut her eyes tightly and Superboy growled again, sensing his girlfriend's obvious distress. Joker ignored him, still staring at the Martian. "Yes…Yes, I think I've decided. I'll start with you, missy," he giggled. He started forward, still cackling.

Kid Flash was vibrating. Not out of fear, but anxiety. The Joker turned to him, still a few feet away from Miss Martian. "Flash Boy, is it? Robbie's best friend, I've heard. Maybe I should choose you. Or you, Fish Boy. You _are_ the leader. Oh pooey, it's so hard to choose!" he cried, stomping his foot. He sighed and shrugged, continuing towards Miss Martian. He had just put his white hand on her arm when Robin shifted.

"STOP!" he yelled, struggling for the first time. Kid Flash swallowed and looked at the thirteen year-old to his right. Artemis, on Robin's right, did too.

The Boy Wonder looked furious, scowling. Not one ounce of fear showed on his face as he struggled fruitlessly at the ropes tied around him, glaring at the Joker all the while. "Stop," he repeated in a soft yet deadly sort of voice. The team flinched at Robin's tone.

The Joker released Miss Martian and gave another manic grin, showing off yellow teeth. "Aww…do you care for Miss Green?" he asked Robin in a baby voice.

"Of course I do," Robin snarled. "And it's not them you want, remember? Take me."

"No," Miss Martian whimpered, but Robin silenced her with a glare, leaning forward to look at her.

The Joker seemed to ponder Robin's words. Then, his face broke into the biggest grin they had seen all night. "How clever, Bird Boy! It's like killing two _birds_ with two stones! I'll get to hear your wonderful song and," he hissed dangerously, "punish your little club at the same time."

He clapped his hands like a child. "Oh, I _love_ it! Now then, wait here! I'll fetch my supplies. Don't try anything sneaky-not that any of you can!"

Laughing madly, the Clown Prince of Crime waltzed from the garage.

As soon as he was gone, Robin spoke. "Listen to me," he said firmly. "He's going to hurt me. It's happened before. I-"

Aqualad cut him off. "Robin, I cannot allow you to sacrifice yourself. I am the leader, I will-"

"No," Robin said in the same deadly voice he had used earlier. "I need you all to _listen_. No matter what happens, _don't_ try to give yourselves in to him. He's _not_ going to kill me; you heard him, he wants me back, not dead. But he won't hesitate to kill any of you. Do you guys understand?"

M'gann whimpered again. "R-Robin, I'm so sorry. I-I-" she whispered, but Robin hushed her gently.

"Nah, you've got nothing to be sorry for, Miss M. If anything, I should be the one apologizing- I should have noticed something was off here," he said in a bitter voice. Artemis spoke then. She sounded slightly hysterical, much like she had when she and Robin had been fighting Red Inferno and Red Torpedo.

"No! Why are you blaming yourself? You've just sacrificed yourself to save us and you're _still_ apologizing?" she hissed.

Robin laughed, and it was a mirthless sound. "This isn't the first time this has happened, Artemis. But I've been trained to observe my surroundings thoroughly and I failed and I'm-I'm sorry you guys will have to see this," he finished in a whisper.

"What-what is he gonna do, Rob?" Kid Flash asked shakily. Robin shrugged nonchalantly.

"Depends," he said simply. "I'll be lucky if he doesn't have his laughing gas with him."

Kid Flash was horrified at how calmly Robin was talking despite being mere moments away from being tortured. Sure, he knew his best friend had seen and gone through some pretty insane stuff, but he was still just a child! A child who had seen horrors the world had to offer by age nine…

Wally was jerked from his thoughts as Robin spoke again.

"I'm serious, you guys. You gotta _swear_ you won't give yourselves in. Please. I'm not doing this in vain, alright?"

There were a few seconds of silence. Then Superboy spoke.

"Let me do it. He can't hurt me. I'm invulnerable, remember?" he said. Robin chuckled grimly.

"Not right now, you're not. Are you forgetting about that green chunk on your chest? You're as vulnerable as me right now, Supey. And like I said, he doesn't want to kill me. Don't worry, guys," Robin added softly, and M'gann started to cry.

"R-Robin, you're o-only thirteen! How d-do you do t-this?" she sobbed.

Before Robin could reply, they heard off-tune whistling and the sound of footsteps. "He's here. Guys, promise about what I said," Robin hissed, looking warily at the entrance of the garage.

"I-I cannot-" Aqualad stammered.

"NOW!" Robin roared. The team flinched again.

"I-I-we…We promise," Aqualad muttered, his head hanging in shame.

"Good. And guys…I'm sorry," Robin said quietly as the Joker reentered.

He was wearing a white lab coat over his ugly purple suit and rubber gloves over his hands, in which he held two large black duffle bags. He stopped whistling as he walked in front of the team again. He had a long fit of laughter and then grabbed Robin roughly around his waist. He threw him a little ways in front of the team.

Robin landed hard on his back without so much a flinch.

"Now then," the Joker giggled, slowly unzipping one of the black duffle bags. "Let's get started."

**Yup...coming up is shameless Robin whumpage. ;)**

**Please review if you guys want more!**

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**Push it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh. My. Glob.**

**Really, you guys? 28 reviews in three days? It made my day! I came home from school expecting like 6 reviews or something and BAM! I'M SO BUBBLY RIGHT NOW!**

**So, instead of doing biology homework on a topic I already know about, I'm updating. This is the last chapter that I have already written, so there will most likely be a gap between this one and the next one. I really don't know what to do for the ending. Do you guys want Batman to come and take care of Robin? Or have the team transport Robin to Mt. Justice where Batman finds them?Tell me in your reviews, please.**

**So, here we go. Chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Enjoy!**

**~Zara**

**Warnings: blood, shameless Robin torture, Joker being _really_ creepy and messed up, vomiting…yeah.**

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><p>"<em>Now then," the Joker giggled, slowly unzipping one of the black duffle bags. "Let's get started."<em>

The team, minus Robin, watched with bated breath as the Joker extracted something from his bag. They gasped at what they saw: it was a sharp carving knife, and the steel glinted evilly in the dim lights of the garage.

The clown cackled and waved the knife mockingly at the team. Then he bent down next to Robin, who looked indifferent. "Ready to shed some tears for me, Wonder Boy?" Joker giggled, running the blunt side of the knife down Robin's torso.

Robin growled and Aqualad thought numbly of how much he sounded like Batman. "Whatever the hell you do, Joker, I'm _not _going to cry for you," he said. The team marveled at Robin's courage as the Joker frowned. Then, suddenly, he slashed the knife at Robin's exposed forearm.

Blood oozed from the gash as Miss Martian sobbed. Robin, however, did not react.

"Oh, come on Robbie. That _had _to have hurt a teeny bit," Joker pouted. Robin raised an eyebrow, making the top of his mask rise slightly.

"Fine," Joker shrugged. He took up the knife again and drove it into Robin's left leg, right into his calf. This time, Robin winced lightly and M'gann cried even louder.

The Joker was still unsatisfied. He looked at the blood dripping off the knife clutched in his hand. He took a gloved hand and ran it along the blade. He licked the red off his finger, smacking his lips. Kid Flash looked away, gagging.

The Joker looked over at the older teens, grinning. "Crying already? We're just getting started!" he said.

With that, he turned back to Robin and cut the ropes off his chest, leaving his arms and legs tied. Joker unclasped Robin's tunic and yanked it off. Then, he slowly sawed through the Kevlar vest underneath, revealing tan skin and an eight-pack. The Joker licked his lips, staring.

He raised the knife again and brought it down to Robin's chest. He carved a letter "J" into the muscular skin and Robin grunted, blood dripping down his torso.

The Joker continued to carve his name into Robin's chest, the Boy Wonder letting out gasps every now and then. The team watched in horror, wondering how Robin wasn't showing more pain.

The Joker finished carving a "R" and set down the knife, looking crestfallen. Out of the blue, he grinned. "Of course, how could I forget?" he cried, slapping a hand on his forehead. He walked away from Robin, who was breathing heavily, to his duffle bag.

"F-forget what?" Artemis asked, her tough-girl façade fading.

Joker ignored her, looking through his bag. Suddenly, he stopped and stood up, holding a container of salt.

"N-no! Don't!" Kid Flash cried.

The Joker laughed and squatted next to Robin again. Robin tensed when he was what the Joker was holding. The Joker poured a fair amount of salt onto Robin's chest and Robin gasped loudly. Joker violently rubbed the salt into the cuts running across Robin's pectorals. At this, Robin could not keep silent.

He screamed as his chest burned with an unholy pain, writhing on the hard ground. Kid Flash and Artemis were crying now too, as they watched their "baby brother" scream. Aqualad had his eyes shut tightly as Robin's screams of agony echoed through the garage.

"Stop it! Stop!" Kid Flash yelled as Robin continued to thrash on the ground. The Joker didn't seem to hear him; he was sitting down, his eyes closed. He swayed as if listening to music.

Eventually, Robin's cries subsided and he was left with pants. He still did not shed a single tear.

"Finally, you sang for me!" the Joker said gleefully. "Was that really so hard, Robbie?"

Robin growled again. "Screw you," he hissed, still panting.

Joker scowled and kicked Robin hard in the chest. Robin did not react, but the others saw his bare shoulders tense and knew that he had cracked a few ribs, or bruised them, at least.

"Now, let's go on. You _will _cry for me, birdie," Joker said in a low voice. He went through the black bag again and this time extracted what looked like a taser, much like the one Robin carried in his utility belt.

The moment Robin saw the small device, he shut his eyes tightly as if bracing himself.

Superboy gave a roar of anger as the Joker fired the taser. Robin's back arched as he screamed again, violent volts of electricity passing through him. His body convulsed and M'gann threw up, not being able to hold it in.

Slowly, Robin fell silent, still convulsing every now and then. The Joker clapped and Superboy wanted to pound his face in. "Who hoo! You have such a beautiful voice, Robbie. I don't know why you like to keep it hidden," he said.

Robin glared at his from his supine position, panting and wincing.

He could already feel the burns forming on his right thigh, where the taser had struck. The scorched skin seared with pain as it rubbed against his leggings uncomfortably. If not for the bleeding stab wounds to his arm and leg, not to mention the cuts on his chest, he probably could have brought his hands in front of him. In training stimulations, Robin had always managed to get himself untied in hostage situations. But this most certainly was _not _a training exercise and he was injured, so he let go of any hopes of getting himself free. If he did manage to escape, the Joker would turn to his friends for entertainment, which was the last thing he wanted right now.

The Joker was giggling as he looked through his bag for a fourth time. He pulled out a crowbar and this time, Artemis was the one to scream. Joker laughed even harder as he brought the crowbar down on Robin's knee.

Robin felt his bone shatter and he let out a shriek of agony that echoed loudly in the garage. He felt tears of pain forming in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. The Joker seemed to sense that Robin was close to crying and he whooped. He brought the crowbar down again.

The older teens were all crying by now, even Superboy. M'gann was bawling. Aqualad and Artemis had their eyes clenched shut and Superboy let out angry snarls, trying to control his tears. Kid Flash could not unglue his eyes from the metal bar that was bashing his best friend. His emerald eyes were wide and he screamed as Robin received another blow, this one to the ribs.

"One birdie." _Smash._

"Two birdies." _Crack._

"Three. Oh how I love it when you sing just for me!" the Joker yelled in a sing-song voice. He raised the bar yet again over a bloody, barely conscious Robin.

"STOP IT! PLEASE, STOP! You'll kill him!" Miss Martian screamed, tears cascading down her face.

Aqualad was shaking with anger and grief as he watched the Joker think for a moment, examining the bloody crowbar he held.

"Nope," he said suddenly, looking up. "You're wrong, Miss Green. He didn't cry yet. Another hit won't kill him."

The Clown Prince of Crime grinned evilly as M'gann gave a wail of despair. The Joker slowly raised the crowbar over his head with both hands.

"NO!" Kid Flash cried. Joker ignored him and smashed the crowbar into the flesh of Robin's gut.

Robin's closing eyes flew open and he let out the loudest scream of pain yet. He felt the weapon dig into his stomach and he was definite that he had ruptured _something. _His back arched again and that only caused him more agony as his stomach muscles flexed. He could hear his teammates screaming his name but couldn't open his mouth to reply with anything else besides screams. He tasted copper rising in his throat and everything hurt _so badly _and he wanted it to end, to be with his aunt and cousin, his mamica and tati-

Suddenly, he couldn't hold back his tears any longer. Two tears, one from each eye, slid from under Robin's domino mask. The Joker took note of this right away. He threw the crowbar aside and jumped up and down.

"Yes, yes, yes! He did it! He cried, he cried for Uncle J!" he screeched. He sat down next to Robin and brought his face down very close to the Boy Wonder's, jittering with excitment. Slowly, his tongue flickered out.

Artemis gave a yell of horror and disgust as the Joker licked the tears off of Robin's face, leaving a residue of saliva on the soft flesh-

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Kid Flash roared, unable to take it any longer. "HE CRIED, YOU HAPPY? NOW GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

The Joker looked up, feigning surprise. He pulled out the pocket watch that hung from the chain on his pants and squinted at it. "My, my, my, is it that time already? It feels like time flew, doesn't it, Wonder Boy?" he chuckled, nudging Robin with his shiny black loafer.

Robin did not respond. He was lying on his side, eyes seemingly closed and every inch of his visible skin was covered in blood. His leggings were tattered and blood still flowed from the gash on his calf and the many lacerations afflicted by the crowbar. A bit of blood suddenly trickled down Robin's jaw from his mouth and Kid Flash froze.

_He's internally bleeding. Oh god, oh god, oh god. He-he's internally bleeding! Robin's dying!_

Kid Flash looked over at Artemis and knew that she too had noticed the scarlet coming from Robin's lips. Her eyes were as wide as his and her breath was coming in pants.

"Robbie?" the Joker whined. "I asked you a question!"

Robin remained silent and the Joker blew a raspberry. "Well, I have to get goin' anyways; Batsy and the others are probably wondering what's taking you kiddies so long. It's been fun though, right?*" he asked, but the only sounds he was answered with were the cries of the older teens.

"Fine," Joker grumbled. "Don't answer me."

He set about taking off his bloodied gloves and lab coat. He stuffed them into the, until now, unopened duffle bag. He stashed the crowbar, salt, knife, and taser back into the bag that he had taken them from.

When he finished packing, he stood up, slinging both bags over his shoulders and dusting his hands off. He giggled as he walked to stand in the doorway of the garage. Slowly, he pulled out a remote-like device from his suit's breast pocket.

"I suppose I should let you all go now: don't want Robbie to bleed out, now do we? Then I wouldn't be able to hear him sing anymore!" the Joker said. He fingered the remote in his hand and the team realized with a jolt that it was the device that would turn off Aqualad and Miss Martian's collars.

"But first," the Joker whispered, unzipping the bag in which he had put his coat and gloves, "a little…parting gift for my little bird; who knows when I'll see him again?"

With a flourish, the Joker pulled out a small pistol. M'gann and Kid Flash screamed again while the other three struggled at their bonds yet again.

"No, no, _no_!" Artemis cried, tears staining the tan skin of her face. "You-you'll kill him! _Look_ at him! He can't-he can't take another hit!"

The Joker roared with laughter again and Superboy had never felt such a murderous rage. "Don't worry, blondie! I'll make sure not to hit something important…" Joker said, readying the pistol.

Aqualad felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched the maniac, who seemed to be deciding where to shoot Robin. Then, the clown's face split into another grin. He shut one eye and pulled on the trigger. _Oh Poseidon, this is my fault. I am the leader, this is my fault. Robin is only thirteen, is a mere _child_, it should have been me-_

_BANG!_

The small bronze bullet flew at Robin and Kid Flash saw it as if it was traveling in slow motion. It lodged itself right into Robin's gut, just above his navel.

Robin's masked eyes flew open completely again. The Boy Wonder let out a scream that shook the earth as the force of the bullet threw him onto his back.

"ROBIN!" Superboy roared as the others gave screams of despair. The Joker laughed madly and then spoke, raising his voice to he heard over the screams.

"All done! I'll see you all again someday, soon, preferably. Until then," the Joker lowered his voice and began backing out of the garage, "tell Batsy that I send my regards."

With a swift motion, Joker pushed the off button of the collars' remote and fled from the garage, laughing at the top of his lungs.

And the team was left with the broken, bleeding bird on the ground in front of them.

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><p><strong>*Joker's line from Under the Red Hood. That movie made my cry the first time I saw it :'((((<strong>

**That's chapter two done! I hope I didn't over-do Robin's injuries _too_ much, but I needed it to be intense. For the future chapter(s), I have some choices. I could either just do a medical chapter where the team keeps Robin alive until they arrive at the Cave, or I could do that AND either a Robin or other team member POV chap. Please tell me what you guys want in your reviews. THANKS! And just so you all know, there will probably be a bit of a gap between this chapter and the next update becuz spring sports season is starting.**

**Oh, one last thing: has anyone else noticed that Jesse McCartney makes the SAME grunts and groans for Robin in EVERY Young Justice episode? Lol, just wondered if anyone else noticed, I find it odd :p But still, it's cute ;)**

**~Zara**

**VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

**VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**  
><strong>VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV<strong>  
><strong>VVVVVVVVVVVV<strong>

**VVVVVVV**

**VVVVV**

**VVV**

**VV**

**V**

**Pff, that looks more like a funnel than an arrow. Either way,**

**PLEASE PUSH THE REVIEW BUTTON!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **

**Hey guys! I'm kinda updating sooner than I thought I would be, but I didn't have much to do today so I spent my leisure time writing this! Quite frankly, I suck at medical chapters, so I'm gonna post that one as a separate chapter. This one is just the team keeping Robin alive until they reach Happy Harbor. I don't like this one either because I feel like I downplayed Robin's injuries; he really should be dead BUT I SHALL NOT KILL HIM! FEAR NOT! I also think that I didn't have the team react correctly. What I'm trying to say is that this chapter sucks, so I hope I don't ruin the story for some of you!**

**In this chap, Robin's mask comes off, but I continue to call him Robin at sometimes; I alternate between Dick and Robin, so I hope no one gets confused. I do the same with Flash and KF; they have their cowls down but I sometimes refer to them with their hero monikers. **

**I used Leslie Thompkins as the Bat-family doctor. I think she's middle aged in the comics, but I made her younger (I've never actually read the old Batman comics sooo).**

**I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE NEW EPISODE ON SATURDAY! Well, I've already watched it in Turkish but that isn't nearly as fun as it is with the real voices. (BTW, check out some of my YJ poles on my profile please!)**

**Without further ado, chapter 3!**

**~Zara**

**Warnings: blood, medical drama…I think that's it.**

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><p><em>With a swift motion, Joker pushed the off button of the collars' remote and fled from the garage, laughing at the top of his lungs. <em>

_And the team was left alone with the broken, bleeding bird on the ground in front of them._

It took Kaldur a few seconds to realize that his Atlantian strength had returned. Superboy was the first one of them to recover their wits.

"What are you doing?" he roared, glaring at M'gann and Aqualad. "Get us loose!"

Miss Martian tried to control her sobs as she quickly cut through the ropes around her body with her telekinesis. She did the same for Aqualad, who ran to Robin as soon as he could walk. M'gann then turned to Conner and tugged the Kryptonite away from his chest, tossing it to the side. The Kryptonian ripped through his bindings as he felt his strength return. He proceeded to untie Wally and Artemis.

Once free, they all joined Aqualad at Robin's side.

The Boy Wonder, remarkably, was not yet fully unconscious. His hands were still tied behind his back. Kid Flash gently raised Robin's body off the ground so that Superboy could get to the ropes. The Boy of Steel removed the ropes as tenderly as he could as Robin stirred.

Kid Flash lowered Robin, putting his best friend's head on his lap. Artemis was pressing her shaking hands against Robin's bullet wound. Blood was gushing out of the small hole in his stomach, covering her hands, filling her nose with its coppery smell.

Aqualad had retrieved Robin's utility belt and was rifling through it. He quickly extracted a roll of gauze from it and tossed it over to Wally, who caught it with ease.

"Let up for a second, Artemis," he said shakily.

Artemis nodded, tears running down her face, and pulled her hands away from Robin's stomach. Kid Flash carefully lowered Robin's head to the ground.

The Boy Wonder let out a moan of pain, still somewhat conscious. M'gann shushed him quickly, stroking his black hair as Wally started to wrap up Robin's lower torso. Robin's hands instinctively reached down to touch the bullet wound but Artemis caught them gently.

"You're okay, Robin. Don't touch it, alright? You'll be okay," she whispered, gently kissing his forehead.

Wally finished tying off the wound and pressed down on it, the white gauze already turning red. Robin let out a wail of pain and Wally felt tears run down from his eyes. He felt someone push his shaking hands away and he looked up to find that it was Superboy, who was now using his own hands to put pressure on Robin's gut.

Wally watched as his best friend, his little brother of two years*, shook, sweat slowly trickling down his face and bare chest. His eyes appeared closed behind his mask. His face was contorted with agony and his fists were clenched inside of Artemis' grip.

The speedster turned his attention to the word engraved on Robin's chest. Five letters were crookedly carved across the length of Robin's pectorals, blood dripping down from them sluggishly.

Seeing this, Wally quickly ripped up the arm of his uniform, seeing as they were out of gauze, and brought it slowly to Robin's chest. He wiped the blood away gingerly and Robin suddenly screamed, his back arching off of the ground.

"Stop!" M'gann cried.

"The s-salt," Wally stuttered, cursing himself. "It-it's already infected. Oh God, I'm sorry, Robin."

He looked up at Kaldur, who was kneeling at Robin's feet, putting pressure on the wound inflicted by the knife on his left leg.

"We have to call the League," the leader said firmly. "Wally, take over here for me."

Wally nodded and now pushed his hands against Robin's lower leg. _This is all wrong, unnatural, he can't live while bleeding out this much. There's too much, too much red, everywhere, it's everywhere-_

"Aqualad to League," Kaldur said, pressing his finger against his comm link.

"Flash here." Aqualad heard the cheerful voice of the senior speedster in his ear. "Everything okay?"

Aqualad stiffened. "N-no. We had a run in with the Joker and-and Robin is injured," he said, crying silently.

There was a small gasp on Flash's end. "Extent of his injuries?" he asked, his voice suddenly becoming more serious.

"A gun-gunshot wound to his navel. Two stab wounds, his calf and forearm. Cuts to his chest; they are not extremely deep but we believe they are already infected- Joker applied s-salt to them. His knee appears to be badly broken; he was repeatedly hit with a crowbar. He was also electrocuted and blood is coming from his- from his mouth. He is internally bleeding," Aqualad finished, his voice cracking.

Flash let out a stream of cuss words. "Get him to the mountain ASAP. I'll let Batman know what's happened. Aqualad: keep him safe. We _cannot_ lose Robin." The comm went dead.

Kid Flash looked up again as Kaldur returned to Robin's side. His silver eyes appeared unfocused. Then, he straightened. "We must return to the cave. Wally, bring Robin to the ship. Now."

Wally nodded and gently gathered Robin in his arms. Robin coughed when he was moved and cried out as his body shook.

"I'm sorry, Rob. I'm so, so sorry," Kid Flash whispered as he zoomed out of the garage and back to where the bioship was docked, camouflaged. He glanced over his shoulder to see Miss Martian floating after him in the darkness, opening the ship's door.

He ran inside and quickly made his way to the medical table in the back of the ship. He slowly laid Robin down and then swiftly set about gathering gauze and antiseptic wipes from the ship's medical supply cabinets. He ran to Robin's side again.

The Boy Wonder was now unconscious. "Please be ok, Dickie. Please, I-we-we can't lose you," Wally whispered, still crying.

The rest of the team came running onto the ship as Wally took an antiseptic wipe out of its box.

"S-someone'll need to hold him down. This will h-hurt him but we can't risk his stab wounds getting infected too, his body will be too weak to fight it off," he said shakily yet determinedly.

Artemis nodded, her face now set. She and Conner moved to either side of Robin. Conner latched onto Robin's ankles while Artemis held his wrists.

Aqualad was putting pressure on Robin's gut again as M'gann settled herself behind the pilot's chair, her breath coming in heaving gasps as she continued to sob, everyone's feelings of grief and anxiety leaking into her head.

The bioship rose into the night sky as Wally cautiously wiped at the site of Robin's arm wound. He expected Robin to yell out but he did not so much as flinch. Wally didn't know if he should be grateful or not. He finished cleaning out Robin's arm wound and tossed the bloodied wipe into a trash can. He snatched up another wipe and moved to clean the gash on Robin's leg.

Once he was done, he moved to kneel next to his best friend, his knees resting on the mushy ground of the bioship. Kid Flash pulled his cowl down, running a bloodied hand through his red hair. Aqualad continued to push on Robin's navel as Superboy went to try and comfort his girlfriend; the girl was still crying like the rest of the team and could barely see as she flew the ship at breakneck speed back to Happy Harbor.

Artemis moved to kneel next to Wally. She tenderly wiped the blood coming from Robin's mouth.

"How can he be so _brave_?" she whispered, looking at Wally. "He's thirteen. Just a kid. How does he do it? He nearly got himself killed for us."

Wally shut his green eyes, feeling Artemis' gaze boring into him. "H-he's been through a lot. I-I don't know how he does it-how he stays so _calm_, no matter what. I-I could never do that," he muttered, eyes still closed.

Artemis narrowed her dark eyes. "What do you mean, 'he's been through-"

"Wally. Artemis." Aqualad's frightened voice suddenly cut into their conversation. "I believe Robin is waking up."

Wally's eyes shot open. He looked at Robin as Artemis did the same. Kaldur was correct indeed; the speedster and archer had been so engrossed in their conversation that they had not noticed that the whites of Robin's domino mask were slowly appearing.

Wally gasped. _No, no, he can't wake up, not now, not yet-_

Robin's eyes suddenly opened wide. He took in a rattling gasp, feeling blood rising in the back of his throat. The only thing he was aware of was that he was in pure _agony_, pain, pain, pain everywhere. The cuts on his chest burned and seared agonizingly, a sharp, piercing pain shot through his upper body every time he sucked in a breath, his knee throbbed, he could literally feel bits of bone threatening to break through the skin, he felt extremely lightheaded and hot, it was much too hot and he wondered if this was what dying felt like, if this was what his family felt like in their last moments of life-

A sharp, penetrating scream erupted from Robin's lips, filling the confinement of the bioship. Wally jumped to his feet as Robin shrieked, thrashing.

"ROBIN!" Wally yelled. "You're alright, buddy! We've got you, you're gonna be okay-"

Robin screamed again and Wally saw the sweat pouring down his face. The Boy Wonder's head turned from side to side as he continued to shriek, overwhelmed by the pain consuming him, squeezing him in its cold, cruel grip, squeezing the life out of him.

"We have to bring his fever down!" Artemis cried, looking around frantically for something cold.

"In the bottom cabinet!" M'gann shrieked. "There's a small freezer, it should have cold presses in it!"

Wally was at said cabinet and back to Robin's side in a few seconds. He put the cold press on Robin's forehead as Kaldur and Artemis held Robin down by his wrists. Superboy hurried over and pulled off his black t-shirt, quickly tying it around Robin's knee; it wasn't anything close to a splint, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

"Robin, you're okay! Please, Rob, calm down!" Wally sobbed, holding Robin's head in both of his gloveless hands. The younger boy's skin was flushed, fiery to the touch. Wally felt something wet being shoved into his hands and looked up to see Artemis thrusting a wet red towel at him. He took it and wiped gently at Robin's face. The Boy Wonder wailed again, writhing.

Suddenly, Robin's cries began to subside. His breathing slowed down greatly and he stopped trashing. Kaldur quickly fumbled for Robin's neck.

"It is fading," he said, appalled. "Robin's pulse is fading."

Wally let out a gasp. "N-n-no! No! Robin! St-stay with us!" he sobbed.

There was no response. The only sounds that could be heard were the renewed sobs of the two females and Wally.

"You said he wouldn't kill you!" Wally screamed. "You said you'd be okay!"

Again, there was no response.

Wally let out an anguished yell and suddenly tore off Robin's mask. The others stared in astonishment but Wally took no notice.

"DICK! Dickie, stay with us!" Wally sobbed, holding Robin's head in his hands again.

Artemis took over wiping Robin's face, staring at Robin's- Dick's face. She knew who he was-it all made _so_ much sense now- and what Wally had meant by saying that he had been through a lot.

His eyes, framed with long black eyelashes, were a beautiful baby blue color. And they were filled with obvious agony.

Robin's eyes were unfocused and glassy as Wally screamed his name. And then, his chest stopped rising altogether.

Artemis shrieked as Superboy quickly began CPR, afraid to push too hard because of Robin's probable internal injuries. He pushed down rhythmically, counting in his head. _Two…four…six…eight…_

Twelve compressions later and Robin still was not breathing.

Then a sudden gurgling noise sounded. Robin started coughing and blood spewed out from his lips. He gasped as he took in air.

"Prop him up," Kaldur said firmly. "He cannot breathe while lying flat."

Wally, who had been staring at Robin, started. He quickly raised Robin by the shoulders and sat himself on the medical table, leaning against the wall of the bioship. He moved Robin so that his upper body was propped up against his own, Robin's head on Wally's shoulder.

The Boy Wonder continued to cough and more blood came up. He struggled to take in oxygen.

"M'gann, what's our ETA?" Artemis asked, holding one of Robin's hands.

"F-five-five minutes," Miss Martian whispered.

_He doesn't _have_ five minutes, _Wally thought, stroking his best friend's hair. The Boy Wonder was whimpering in pain again.

"Shh…we're almost there, Richard. Can you hear me? We're almost there. Hang on…hang on…" Wally whispered, holding Robin tight.

Robin's sapphire eyes were dilated to an extreme, black almost overtaking the azure irises. Aqualad had his eyes closed and was whispering some sort of Atlantian prayer, his head bowed. Superboy held Robin's free hand. It was so small in his…

Robin's eyes suddenly shut and Artemis gasped.

"He's going into shock," Connor said, grateful for the knowledge Cadmus had supplied him with. "His body is trying to protect him from further harm."

Wally ceased the stroking of Robin's hair and wiped the blood from Robin's lips.

"We're approaching Happy Harbor," M'gann said, her voice stronger.

The ship zoomed over the sleeping city, flying towards Mount Justice.

"Flash, we have arrived." Aqualad spoke into his comm unit. "Are you at the mountain?"

"Yeah," came the voice of Flash. "Opening the bay doors now."

M'gann directed the ship downwards as Mount Justice grew larger in their view. They flew over the area of grass surrounding the mountain and through the open doors that led to the cave's landing bay. The ship touched down gently.

Wally stood up with Robin in his arms and ran off the ship, making a beeline for the infirmary. He met his Uncle Barry outside the medical room's metal doors.

"U-Uncle Barry- he's dying-Dickie's dying-he's d-dying-" Wally babbled, clutching his 'little brother ' to his chest.

Barry pulled his cowl down and stepped forward, placing a hand on his nephew's arm. "Calm down, Kid. He's safe now, alright? Batman's on his way with Dr. Thompkins. Let's get Richard on a bed, okay?" he said, his usually cheerful voice wavering. He gently took the Boy Wonder from Wally's arms. He refrained from looking directly at the boy he had known since the latter was nine years old.

The automatic doors slid open as soon as Barry stepped in front of them. He zoomed over to the first bed he saw, gently laying Robin down. The boy's chest was heaving as he struggled to breathe. Wally quickly grabbed two pillows and slid them under Robin's head, propping him up.

For the first time, Barry looked over the thirteen year-old. The first thing he noticed was the blood cascading from his lips. _Bruce better get here fast,_ he though. His gaze moved over the word 'JOKER' carved messily into Dick's chest, the stained red gauze around his lower waist, the black cloth wrapped around the obviously broken knee, the large gashes on the Robin's calf and forearm, the smaller cuts all over his arms and legs. He smelled something giving off the smell of burnt cloth and realized that it was coming from Robin's leggings.

"What happened, Wally?" he whispered. He felt tears burning his eyes as he looked at his nephew. Wally's fiery hair was disheveled and his jade eyes were bloodshot. His freckled face was tearstained and Barry saw that his hands and bright yellow uniform were covered in blood- Robin's blood.

"Joker," Wally hissed, pure venom and hatred lacing his voice. "He was going to hurt us and R-Robin told him not to touch us and to t-torture him instead." A sob escaped his lips.

Barry closed his eyes for a moment. Then, Robin's voice sounded.

"N-n-no…" The voice was slurred and raspy and could barely be heard.

The speedsters' heads shot towards the boy on the bed just as Kaldur, M'gann, Artemis, and Conner caught up to Wally.

Wally was holding Robin's hand in a second. "Hang on, you'll be okay, Rob. Batman's coming, you're gonna be okay," he whispered again.

"Here," Barry said, moving forward. He hooked Robin up to the ventilator that stood beside each hospital bed. He slid the plastic mask gently over Robin's nose and mouth. Robin rasped as pure oxygen forced its way through his blood-clogged throat.

Other than the sound of Robin breathing, there was silence for a moment, everyone watching the Boy Wonder. Then Robin spoke again, his hands curling into fists. His voice could barely be heard over the noise of the ventilator and it was already weak to begin with

"Don't leave me," Robin slurred and M'gann cried yet again. "Mamica…Tati…don't go…not yet…I wanna come…wanna come…"

Wally's eyes widened as Robin spoke in his sub consciousness. He opened his mouth to comfort his best friend but then Superboy spoke.

"Batman's here with someone," he said, lifting his head. "And there's a third person-"he paused, listening again. "It's your uncle, M'gann."

The others released a breath they didn't know they had been holding. Batman was here, Robin was going to make it.

Gotham's Dark Knight sprinted into the infirmary, his long black cape flowing out behind him. His face was contorted with worry and anger. Martian Manhunter floated in behind him, followed by a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. She was wearing a white doctor's coat and her hair was secured back with a hair tie. Thick-framed glasses framed her blue eyes.

"What happened to Robin?" Batman growled, pushing through the small group of people around his protégé. He knelt down and held Robin's hand in his own Kevlar gloved one. The junior heroes, minus Wally, looked surprised at how much affection and emotion Batman was displaying.

"The J-Joker ambushed us," Kaldur said, stepping forward.

"Not important right now. What is the extent of Robin's injuries?" Batman said.

Wally told Batman everything that Kaldur had told Flash when asked the same question.

Batman shut his eyes tightly behind his cowl, opening them when Kid Flash finished speaking.

"Alright. Leslie, J'onn, let's get started. Determine the extent of his internal injuries first," he said, his voice steady.

The blonde woman, Leslie, nodded and moved to stand over the boy she too had known as long as the Flash had. She gently ran her gloved hands over Robin's upper body, pushing and prodding gently.

When her hands probed Robin's stomach, the Boy Wonder's body convulsed. Artemis and M'gann sobbed as Robin let out a pain-filled wail. Batman stroked Robin's sweat soaked hair as Leslie continued her examination. Robin cried out again when the doctor's hands touched his upper chest. He moaned and then coughed, blood spraying the inside of the oxygen mask on his face.

Dr. Thompkins took a deep breath and looked up at the group of heroes. "Ruptured spleen, I think, some bruised ribs, definitely a ruptured appendix; we'll have to remove it and if his spleen _is_ ruptured, it needs to be operated on right away, as does his knee. It didn't break cleanly. The infected cuts on his chest are causing the fever. He's in shock right now, we must get started. Every passing minute makes it more likely for him to slip into a coma," she finished.

Batman nodded once and turned to the junior heroes and Flash. "You all have to leave. I shall inform you of Robin's condition after surgery. And," he added, his voice softening a bit, "good job."

Flash nodded and rounded up the young protégés. "C'mon. The sooner we leave, the faster Robin'll get better."

The teens nodded and walked out of the infirmary with the knowledge that their youngest member was getting the care he needed.

The metal doors of the infirmary shut silently.

Batman turned to the Martian and blonde woman in front of him.

"Let's begin."

* * *

><p><strong>*In the Young Justice QA with the show's writers, Greg Weisman said that Dick and Wally have only known each other for two years<strong>

**All done! The next chap, like I said, will be the medical one. I think this kinda turned out longer than I thought it would. And I know that there were a couple of paragraphs that were major run-on sentences, but I intended them to be like that, kay?**

**Well, I hope I satisfied you guys! **

**Please review!**

**~Zara**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:**

**Hey guys! Sorry for the rather long wait for this chapter! Like I've stressed before, I am no good at medical chapters :/ They're just don't whelm me, not at all. Sooo…I kinda weaseled out of writing it: I just investigate the team's feelings more, and Bruce's too. For those who asked for a complete medical chap, I'm so, so sorry! I just can't do 'em without having them sound cheesy and unreal; I might attempt them in a different story. For now, you guys get this ;) **

**Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. I think that there might be just one more for this story and then I can go back to writing the third chapter of the Tenacious Trio, which, if you haven't read, you should *hint hint* ;)**

**Sooooo…Performance. Performance, Performance, Performance, Performance, Performance. I don't even know what to say. I loved it. I wanted to snuggle Robin. He's just-gah, I don't even know! I can't believe how strong the show portrayed him to be; a 13 year old kid going to the place where his family died, nearly dying the same way, and all the while, keeping a cool-head and leading a mission, on top of being sick and weak? I was like o.O Still, hands down, my favorite ep. He looked so cuteeee when he was all sweaty…I mean he looked **_**cuter. **_**Duh. And loved the Artemis/Roy interaction. I think they'd have an adorable sis/bro relationship.**

**Superboy's shield problems had me lookin' like :o NO, SUPEY, DRUGS IS VERY BAD!**

**Sorry, but you guys must have known that was coming. I've only been counting down the days till Performance in, like, every one of my AN's.**

**Lol, enjoy!**

**~Zara**

**Warnings: my stupidness? This took me forever to come up with, I just didn't know what to write.**

* * *

><p><em>The metal doors of the infirmary shut silently.<em>

_Batman turned to the Martian and blonde woman in front of him. _

"_Let's begin."_

The teens walked quietly out of the cave's infirmary with Flash beside them. M'gann was still bawling, the sound of Robin screaming echoing in her mind. Conner wrapped an arm around her waist, wiping away his own tears. Kaldur walked along silently, his silver eyes glistening. Artemis had quieted down some, her fist clenching her bow; she had not even realized that Kaldur had retrieved it from the garage and had given it to her on the journey home. Wally walked beside his uncle, green eyes wide and staring ahead blankly. Tears poured down his face but he did not even notice. His whole body was shaking slightly and he numbly registered that he was hungry; it had been a while since he had last eaten.

The team made their way into the recreation room, the lights automatically turning on when they entered.

Conner led M'gann over to the loveseat, holding her as her cries continued. Aqualad sat in the lone armchair, closing his eyes as he too allowed his tears to flow. Artemis sat next to Wally on sofa, letting her bow fall to the ground. Flash stood in front of the five terror-stricken teens, his usual smile replaced with a somber, concerned look.

"I-I know that you guys probably don't want to talk about it right now, but- what happened, exactly? What was the mission's objective?" he asked, looking from one face to another.

There was silence, other than Miss Martian's gasps. Then Kaldur spoke, looking up at the senior here.

"We were sent to stop a drug deal in Gotham. We were under the impression that the drugs were vials of Venom and that the whole ordeal was staged by Bane. B-but it was a set up. We took out those who were involved and then were exposed to some form of knock-out gas. When we awoke, we were bound, our powers suppressed. And then-then we saw him," he said, his eyes full of anger. Flash did not need to ask who "him" was.

"He told us he wanted R-Rob back," Wally added, his voice cracking when he spoke his best friend's name. "He said he wanted him back in Gotham and that it was our fault that he wasn't around as much anymore. He-he was gonna hurt us but Robin-Robin-" Wally's voice gave out and he could not continue.

"Robin sacrificed himself-for us," Artemis finished for the redhead. "He-he told us to-to promise that we wouldn't give ourselves up… said that the Joker would kill-kill us if we did." Her voice too broke and more tears fell forth from her eyes.

"It is my fault." Kaldur spoke again, his voice wavering. "I was the leader and yet I accepted Robin's request and now-now he is injured."

"No," said Flash. "It's no one's fault, Aqualad. Robin's a brave kid, and he was right: the Joker certainly would have killed all of you, that's how he operates."

"But it was my responsibility. I failed him as a leader and-" Kaldur broke off, his shoulders shaking slightly.

"He's going to be okay though, right? I mean, he's-he's _Robin_," Superboy said from his spot on the loveseat.

"He has to! He has to be okay!" M'gann shrieked, crying louder. "He can't-he can't-"

"He will," Wally said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. The junior speedster was sitting up straight, his fists clenched. "He will get better-Dick always bounces back, no matter what happens."

Barry's mouth fell open as Wally spoke Robin's true name. "Uh-Wally, you-" he stuttered, but Artemis interrupted.

"It's alright, we know who he is. I-I go to school with him," she finished in a whisper.

"What's his full name?" M'gann asked quietly, her sobs finally slowing.

Wally shot his uncle a quick glance. He waited until the older man nodded before speaking. "Richard-Dick-Grayson," he said. There was silence for a moment.

"Grayson- I have heard of that surname," Kaldur said, looking up again. "Shortly after I came to the surface world- I heard that name."

"Yeah, he's pretty famous," Wally said, laughing lightly. "He's Bruce Wayne's adopted son."

"So-so does that make...?" Conner trailed off.

Barry nodded. "Bruce Wayne is Batman," he said. "He adopted Dick when he was nine, after-"

"After his parents, aunt, and cousin were murdered. Right in front of him," Wally finished in a whisper, closing his eyes tightly.

The other four teens let the information sink in. M'gann started sobbing for the umpteenth time and the others found new tears making their way down their faces as well.

"M-murdered?" Kaldur breathed, looking at Wally. "H-how-"

"Not my story to tell," Wally said, remembering when Robin had revealed his past to him for the first time. The Boy Wonder had cried for what seemed like hours while Wally held him.

Wally was lulled out of his stupor when the Flash spoke.

"You all need to rest," he said firmly. "I know you don't want to, but you've all been through a lot tonight and sleep will do you all some good."

Wally opened his mouth to argue but was suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of exhaustion. Instead, he nodded but made no move to get off of the couch. He leaned back into the green cushions and shut his eyes. Beside him, Artemis did the same, wiping her tears away. M'gann laid her head against Conner's shoulder, shutting her amber eyes. Only Kaldur remained sitting up, his eyes full of grief.

"Hey now. Go to sleep. I promise to wake you all when I have news," Barry said, his voice softening.

After a moment, Kaldur nodded and relaxed. "Thank you," he muttered, closing his eyes.

Barry looked at the sleeping teens with pity, sighing. Then, he ran back to the medical wing in a whoosh of red.

* * *

><p>Batman watched as Leslie washed her hands quickly and thoroughly, replacing her surgical gloves with new ones. J'onn was floating around the room, readying multiple surgical instruments.<p>

Batman pulled his cowl down, running a hand through his dark hair as he watched his protégé-his son- moan on the bed in front of him. _Oh god, Dick. What did you get yourself into? _he thought, shutting his eyes.

Robin gave a particularly loud moan and Bruce opened his eyes. He kneeled next to Robin. He stroked his hair, feeling the heat radiating off of Robin's body. "Hush. You'll be alright. You're safe now," he whispered.

Bruce stayed like that until he heard the infirmary doors open. He felt a hand on his shoulder but didn't speak.

"C'mon, Bruce. Let's let J'onn and Leslie work," Barry said quietly.

Bruce nodded numbly, letting his hand pass through Robin's hair one more time.

"He is going to be alright now, Bruce," Leslie said gently.

"Do not worry, my friend," J'onn said in his deep voice.

Bruce nodded again and let the speedster guide him out of the white-walled room. He looked back at his son as he walked through the doors. Leslie was removing Dick's oxygen mask and replacing it with one that was connected to the anesthetic machine. The last thing he saw was J'onn bringing a scalpel down to Robin's gut as the doors slid shut.

Bruce walked over to one of the many chairs lined against the wall outside of the medical room and sat down in it, his eyes far away. The image of Robin lying, bloody and burning with fever, on the medical bed was burned into the forefront of his mind. He swallowed but did not cry: he was the Batman. Batman did not cry. He was not allowed to cry.

But Bruce Wayne was.

A single tear made its way down Bruce's usually stoic face.

"H-he's going to be okay, Bruce," Barry said shakily, sitting in the chair next to his friend. "He's going t-to make it." Bruce did not need to look up to know that Barry was crying heavily: most of the League's founding members had known Robin for as long as he had. They all loved him like a nephew of sorts.

Bruce still did not speak. Instead, he chose to nod once silently, still staring at the ground, his mind racing. _I should probably call Alfred, he'd want to be here,_ he thought, bringing a hand up to activate his own com link.

"Alfred," he said, making Barry jump. "It's Bruce. Are you there?"

"Yes, Master Bruce." Alfred Pennyworth's voice came in from the Batcave. "May I ask why you are at Mount Justice? I was under the impression that you were to be at the Watchtower today."

Bruce took in a deep breath. "Something came up," he said, and he heard Alfred inhale sharply.

"Is everything alright?"

"No," Bruce said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Dick's hurt, Alfred. Badly. Leslie and J'onn are performing surgery as we speak."

There was no response for a moment. Then-

"I-I am on my way, Master Bruce. I shall arrive shortly." Alfred disconnected.

Bruce exhaled slowly, standing up as Barry slumped down in his chair, hands covering his face.

"Where is the team?" Bruce asked.

"I told them to rest. They're all in the rec room," Barry mumbled through his hands.

Bruce nodded slowly and sat back down next to Barry. And he waited.

Bruce didn't know how long he and Barry sat there, waiting for his butler to arrive. Thoughts drifted in and out of his mind.

_This is my fault. How did I not confirm that the drugs were Bane's before sending the team? What was I thinking?_

He swallowed the lump in his throat. _ And Dickie…What- what if he _does _slip into a coma? His injuries were bad, even for him. He could-_

Bruce cut himself off, shaking his head. _Don't think like that. He's strong, you know that…_

He sighed again. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He looked up to see Alfred walking towards him briskly. He was wearing his usual black suit and his elderly face held an expression of deep worry.

"Master Bruce. How is he?" he asked in his English accent.

Bruce swallowed again, feeling slightly more relaxed in the presence of his faithful butler. "He's been in surgery for the past hour," Bruce said, his voice shaking slightly. He shut his eyes tightly, keeping them shut until Alfred cleared his throat.

"And- what injuries did Master Dick sustain, exactly?" he asked hesitantly.

Bruce did not reply immediately.

"Sir?"

Bruce exhaled. "It's bad, Alfred. Really bad. Joker cut his chest and rubbed salt on it; the cuts are infected and causing a fever. He-he was electrocuted. And stabbed, twice…his left leg and forearm. And then, the clown beat him- with a _crowbar_," Bruce hissed. "He shattered Dick's knee and ruptured his appendix, and I could see that there was damage to his ribs as well. And there were deep cuts all over his arms and legs. And that's not even all of it! The team said that he _shot _Dick as he left- in his stomach. Good god, Alfred, I honestly don't know how the team kept him alive…he's lost so much blood, the fever was almost hot enough to cause his body to start denaturing* _and _he was internally bleeding."

Alfred stiffened at the end of Bruce's explanation and Bruce clenched his fists so tightly that, had he not been wearing Kevlar gloves, his nails would have drawn blood.

Slowly, Alfred sat down next to Bruce. He gripped his elder charge's arm tightly. "He will make it, Master Bruce. You must stay strong for him," he whispered.

"I know…I know," Bruce whispered back.

Bruce lost track of time, feeling as though days had passed.

They must have sat there for at least three hours**, but Bruce wouldn't know. He did know that with the amount of surgery Robin needed, the two surgeons probably would not have news for a while.

At around four o'clock in the morning, the doors of the infirmary opened and Bruce was on his feet in a second, standing up so fast that he knocked his chair over. Barry, who had been dozing since before Alfred had arrived, jerked awake as Leslie came out of the medical room. Strands of blonde hair were falling out of her ponytail and her white coat was stained scarlet in some places. She looked absolutely exhausted but pleased nonetheless.

"How is he?" Bruce asked immediately.

Leslie smiled tiredly. "He is stable. His spleen was not ruptured, but his appendix was. We removed it successfully. Under closer examination, we saw that he had four cracked ribs, and we've wrapped them. We've stitched up his stab wounds, which, thankfully, were not infected. The burns on his thigh were not too severe; we just have to continue applying ointment. The knee operation was successful as well.

"When Dick was shot, the bullet seemed to have passed through cleanly, so there was no need to worry about fragments remaining in the wound. We have stitched and sanitized that up as well. It didn't hit any major organs, thank god. He has obviously lost quite a bit of blood, but he's on a blood transfusion right now. As you know, the cuts on his chest _were _infected, but J'onn and I have cleaned them. They weren't deep enough to require stitching. They shouldn't leave permanent scarring, thankfully. Right now, our main concern is the fever. It's at 104° right now, but going down slowly. The fever-reducing medicine would have made him drowsy, adding to the risk of making him comatose. So we couldn't give him a lot of it. Same with the morphine. Too much would have been overwhelming for Dick in his current state. He'll be back in shape in about three months, but his knee will take longer to heal up," she finished.

Bruce let out a sigh of relief as Barry whooped. Alfred looked as relieved as Bruce.

Leslie smiled again. "He's sleeping right now, but I imagine you want to see him?" she asked softly.

Bruce nodded and looked over at Alfred and Barry.

"We shall wait here, Master Bruce," Alfred said, and Barry nodded.

Bruce followed Leslie into the medical room. J'onn was hooking Dick up to a ventilator. He smiled reassuringly as Bruce entered. "He is alright, my friend."

Bruce nodded again as he looked at his son.

Robin was lying on the same hospital bed. His leggings had been removed, along with his boots. They had been replaced with a pair of black basketball shorts and ankle socks (Dick absolutely loathed hospital scrubs: he kept pairs of normal sweatpants and shorts in both the mountain and Batcave's infirmary).

Bruce moved his eyes slowly up Dick's form, taking in every detail. Most of his left leg was encased in a black brace that ran from his knee to his hip. The bottom of it, where he had been stabbed, was bandaged. His other leg was wrapped at the thigh, indicating where he had been burned. Dick's chest was still bare, his torso wrapped in fresh gauze. Most of the boy's chest was wrapped as well, covering the cuts on his chest and the place where Leslie and J'onn had to remove his appendix from. The gauze was wrapped tighter around his rib cage. His left upper arm was also bandaged. The smaller cuts from the crowbar had been cleaned and were no longer bleeding. There were electrodes attached to his chest, connecting to different machines: one was reading his heart rate, another his brain activity. An IV was attached to his right arm, feeding his body a small dose of painkillers and fever-reducers. Another small tube was connected to a large bag of dark blood that was being transported into Dick's body, replacing the scarlet fluid that he had lost.

Finally, Bruce looked at his son's face. The boy's eyes were closed, his eyelashes practically touching his cheeks. An oxygen mask rested over his mouth as he breathed slowly. His face, oddly enough, had not been marred by the Joker. Robin's soft black hair was tousled. Sweat glistened on his forehead and shoulders and his cheeks were flushed a light pink color.

Bruce slowly sat down in the chair beside Dick's bed, his eyes never leaving the Boy Wonder's body. He had not felt this level of worry since Dick had nearly died at Two-Face's hands***. Though he knew his son was going to recover, every cut, every scratch, every bandage on his body pained Bruce.

"He is going to be alright, Bruce," Leslie said again, coming up behind Bruce, who did not respond. He only took Dick's hand in his own, stroking the back of it absentmindedly. He barely registered Alfred and Barry walking in behind Leslie.

The redheaded man stood on the other side of Robin's bed, his eyes wide as he took in the boy's condition. Alfred came over to stand next to Bruce, his expression saddening as he looked at his surrogate grandson.

"When should he be waking up?" Bruce asked finally, addressing Leslie and J'onn.

"He should be regaining consciousness in the next hour or so," J'onn replied as he put medical supply away.

"Like I said, we didn't give him a lot of painkillers. Otherwise, he would be out of it much longer," Leslie elaborated. No one spoke for a moment.

"I have to get going," Leslie said, shedding her gloves and coat. She washed her hands again as she spoke. "Keep an eye on his fever, make sure it doesn't rise. If his condition changes, call me. When he wakes, make sure he doesn't move his left leg too much. And the bandages on his stab wounds need to be changed every three hours, and the wounds themselves need to be cleaned. Also, Dick seems to have caught a small cold when his system was fighting the infection in his cuts, so don't be surprised if he's congested and coughing when he wakes. I…think that's it," Leslie said, drying her hands.

Bruce nodded. "Thank you, Leslie, J'onn."

Leslie smiled and exited the room with a wave.

"No need, my friend," J'onn said. "But I must also take my leave. The League has already heard of Robin's encounter with the Joker and is anxious for news. Good night to you all." The Martian nodded to the three men as he too left.

The remaining people in the room looked at the sleeping boy. No one spoke.

Barry broke the silence, as expected.

"Should- should I wake the team? Let them know Robin's okay?" he asked, looking at the Dark Knight.

Bruce shook his head slowly. "Don't...not yet…Wait until he wakes up," he said, still holding Dick's hand.

Barry nodded, stifling a yawn. Alfred spoke then.

"Master Barry," he said kindly. "Why don't you rest for the time being? We'll have someone inform you when Master Dick awakens."

Barry nodded again, hesitantly. "Alright…'night." The speedster exited the medical room, yawning again.

Finally, it was just Dick's surrogate grandfather and father in the room. The beeping of the heart monitor sounded eerie, yet reassuring.

Bruce allowed one more tear to fall from his eyes as Alfred shifted. He moved forward, setting a Tupperware container down on the small table resting beside Dick's bed. Bruce had not even noticed that Alfred had been holding it.

"Cookies," Alfred said, answering Bruce's unasked question. "For the young master and his friends."

Bruce gave a small chuckle, but it was mirthless. He kept his eyes on Robin's serene face.

Alfred spoke again. "Master Bruce, if I do recall correctly…You have an interview with Miss Vale in a few hours today…About your latest Wayne Tech inventions?" he said, casting a questioning look down on his older charge.

Bruce sighed. Alfred was correct. "That's right…Alfred, could you…could you-?"

"Consider it done, Master Bruce," Alfred said, already heading for the doors. "I shall tell her that you are unavailable. I must prepare Master Dick's bed in the cave's infirmary as it is. For when he returns home."

Bruce gave his butler a thankful smile. "I'll contact you when he wakes," he promised.

"Yes, you had better," Alfred said, his expression turning sterner. He nodded and left.

Bruce dozed lightly in his chair, not letting go of Dick's hand. He was, of course, used to late nights, but the stress about Dick's condition had worn him down further.

He napped for about forty minutes, jerking awake occasionally.

Then, Robin's heart rate increased and Bruce heard a soft groan. He jumped to his feet. Dick was stirring, his head turning to the side.

"Dick? Come on now, Dickie…Wake up," he said, stroking Dick's cheek.

Sapphire eyes, tired and still pain-filled, fluttered open to meet Bruce's navy ones.

* * *

><p><strong>Yup, that's chapter 4! I really hope you guys liked this and I'm so sorry for the month-long wait :O<strong>

**Oh, and a note to one of the anon reviews, like 2 chaps ago: I know you can't be knocked over by the force of a bullet. But Robin was already lying on his side, and he fell to his back in pain. Lol, just so that's cleared. I don't wanna sound all 'Don't tell me I'm wrong'-ish.**

***For those who don't know, when your fever gets too high, your enzymes start to literally melt. The process of melting is called denaturing. That's why high fevers are deadly. Lol, I learned it in AP bio this year, so I thought I'd add that in**

****This is totally unrealistic. The surgery should have been waaaaayyyyy longer, but I couldn't have the team sleep for 18 hours or somethin'!**

*****Some might not know this, but in the comics (Robin: Year One), Dick was nearly beaten to death by Two-Face, and Bruce fired him from his role as Robin for a while. :O I haven't read the actual comic, but I saw a few panels of it: in one of 'em, Batman is cradling Robin and says "I'm here, partner…I'm here." It's soooo darn cute and tear-jerking!**

**If anyone knows where I can read it online (without downloading it), please tell me!**

**There'll be one more chapter, full of Dick-Bruce fluff and Robin-team fluff, and then maybe an epilogue.**

**For my next series, I'm thinking of starting a Slade/Robin apprentice fic, based on the Teen Titans arc, only with all YJ characters. I know that there are most likely a lot of those out there, but I want to give it a try ;)**

**Please review!**

**~Zara**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:**

**Hi! **

**Alright, first off, I must rant about Invasion (wow, this is way overdue, isn't it?):**

**I liked it and I didn't like it. I was kind of irritated about the five year skip BUT, I liked Miss M's haircut and Tim is adorable. I kind of gaped when Miss M kissed Lagoon Boy. And Nightwing…*swoons*…he's finally older than me! But to be honest, I miss the old team. I miss Robin being the baby and butchering the English language, Kid and Artemis fighting, and Kaldur being Kaldur, and Supey being all moody. I'm happy that Wally and Artemis are still together though. But I kinda got the feeling that Dick and Wally aren't bf's anymore, since Salvage…I don't know why…**

**When Lian came on, I was shrieking and my sister had to slap me. Yeah. I love Cheshroy. But Lian is supposed to have black hair!**

**Also, many were wondering why Conner looked the same: on CN, it says that as a side effect of the cloning process, Conner will not visibly age O.o Visit the YJ: Invasion page on CN if you want more info on the team.**

**Not many seemed to like the start of season two, but I hope the show's ratings don't go down or else we won't get a season 3! THAT WOULD BE SO HORRIBLE, WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE!  
>I really did want to see Robin mature and develop, though. And I wanted to see the team learn his identity. :( ANDDD I wanted more DickBruce moments. Ah well, I'm never giving up on this show.**

**Alright, I'm done. Here is Sacri-**

**Oh, wait! Thanks so much to that anon reviewer who politely pointed out my idiocy: I totally forgot that salt PREVENTS infection. I was only remembering the fact that it causes pain. Some AP bio student I am. So, let's just say that the Joker's gloves were really germy and that's what caused the infection, okay? Thanks!**

**Last chap! But, I will be making a epilogue. It'll probably be short.**

**Also, I am most likely going to continue writing fanfics that occur in season one. Idc. I'm in denial. Kinda.**

**Bruce is too soft. I don't care. I like Daddy Bats. A lot.**

**~Zara**

******I DON'T BLAME YOU IF YOU SKIPPED THIS AN, BUT PLEASE READ THE BOTTOM ONE, KAY?******

* * *

><p><em>"Dick? Come on now, Dickie…Wake up," he said, stroking Dick's cheek.<em>

_Sapphire eyes, tired and still pain-filled, fluttered open to meet Bruce's navy ones._

Dick smiled weakly as Bruce let out a shaky breath of relief. He kneeled next to Dick.

"Are you alright?" he asked, taking Dick's hand.

"Asterous," Dick said, his voice barely above a whisper. He shifted and let out a gasp, his hands flying to his chest.

"Easy," Bruce said softly, putting Dick's hands back at his sides. "What hurts?"

"Everything," Dick gasped, trying to smile unsuccessfully.

"You don't have much morphine in your system," Bruce explained, voice still soft. "It could've put you in a coma."

"Figured," Dick mumbled, wincing. He sniffled and Bruce remembered what Leslie had said about him having a cold.

"Do you need anything, Dickie?" he asked, stroking Dick's hair.

Dick coughed, pulling the oxygen mask off of his face, and shook his head, reaching for Bruce's hand. Bruce let him hold onto it tightly, relieving some of his pain.

Father and son sat in silence for a few minutes. Then, Dick, whose eyes had been closed, jerked upwards with another gasp. The heart monitor went crazy.

Bruce was on his feet in a second. "What is it? What-"

"The team," Dick gasped, trying to sit up. "What-where's-"

"Shh," Bruce soothed. "They're safe, thanks to you. Joker didn't touch them."

He glanced at the heart monitor. "Dick, you need to calm down, chum. They're safe, I promise. They're sleeping. You gave them-us-quite a scare," he added quietly.

Bruce stroked Dick's hair again, listening as his son's heart rate slowed.

"I saw them, Bruce," Dick whispered suddenly. His heart rate increased slightly again.

Bruce looked at Dick's flushed face. There were tears in his crystalline eyes.

"Saw who, Dickie?" Bruce asked, sitting down on Dick's bed.

"Mamica…and tati…and John and Auntie too…" Dick whispered, his breath hitching. "They-they told me to st-stay with you all. They- Bruce, I-" Dick cut off as tears started to fall from his eyes.

Quickly and gently, Bruce propped Dick into a sitting position. He proceeded to gather Dick's warm body into a hug, making sure not to disturb the wires on his body.

"Shh," Bruce said again. He could feel Dick's body shaking in his arms, both from the tears and the fever. "You're okay now, Dick. You're alive."

"But th-they were right _there _and I d-didn't- God, Bruce, they were _s-so _close-" Dick stuttered, and he started to sob.

Bruce pressed his son's face into his chest, rubbing his back as he rocked Dick back and forth gently.

"Shh," Bruce whispered into Dick's hair. "I know you miss them, I know…but you're alright now."

"A-and I was s-so _stupid_," Dick sobbed into Bruce's chest. "I didn't even n-notice the J-Joker and-"

"Richard," Bruce said, his tone becoming sterner. "That was not your fault in the slightest. If anything, it was mine; I gave you all false information. Don't go blaming yourself."

He continued to rub Dick's back as the boy sobbed, exhaustion and fever taking over.

After a few minutes, Dick's tears subsided. Bruce still held onto him.

He laid a hand on Dick's forehead. It was very warm, but the fever had not risen.

"You need to rest, chum," Bruce said finally, pulling back to look at Dick's face. The boy's face clearly showed pain and fatigue, his cheeks still flushed.

Dick laid his head against Bruce's chest, listening to his heartbeat, something that Bruce knew always calmed the boy. "Don't…don't leave," he whispered, his words slurring.

"I won't," Bruce reassured him, gently lying Dick back down on the bed. He quickly scooped up a blanket and tucked it around his son's shivering body.

Dick closed his azure eyes, wincing as his many injuries were jarred. Everything hurt- his chest stung, his ribs ached, his leg throbbed, his arm burned, his nose was stuffy, and he felt as if is body was on fire, despite the fact that he was shivering.

Bruce watched his son shake, breathing sharply because of pain. His own heart ached, wishing with all his being that he could shoulder Dick's agony himself.

"Try to sleep, Dickie," Bruce said gently, running his hand through the boy's ebony locks.

"It- it hurts…" Dick whispered back, clenching his eyes shut tighter.

Bruce shut his own eyes. Dick _never _admitted when he was in pain. It must have been unbearable if the boy was actually admitting it.

"I'm sorry," Bruce whispered, moving off the bed to sit in the chair that he had occupied while Dick had been asleep. "I'm so, so sorry, Richard. It was my fault. I'm sorry."

Dick didn't reply, and Bruce opened his eyes to find that Dick had fallen into a fitful sleep, his face still slightly contorted with discomfort.

Bruce shook his head, guilt flooding his mind again as he watched his son snuffle a bit in his sleep. Getting up slowly, he brought back a box of tissues and set them on the small table adjacent to Dick's bed.

Sitting back down, he took one of the tissues and brought it slowly to Dick's face. Bruce wiped Dick's nose gently, so gently, afraid that he would hurt the boy further, though he was doing nothing at all to cause harm. Dick sniffled again and turned his head to the side, so that Bruce had a clear view of his face.

Tossing the tissue away, Bruce held Dick's hand as the Boy Wonder slept. He used his other hand to gently massage Dick's head, trying to ease some of the boy's pain in any way he could.

Bruce knew his son was small for his age, and seeing him like this, burning with fever and wrapped up in bandages, lying on a large white hospital bed, made it even more obvious. Dick was twenty times as brave as he was tall.

Bruce smiled shakily as his son nuzzled unconsciously into his hand. He didn't know how long he sat at his son's side as Dick slept, the teen occasionally murmuring things in Romany.

Bruce's com beeped, making him jump, which was something.

He quickly pressed a finger to it before it could wake Dick.

"Batman here. What is it?" he asked, forcing his voice back into what Dick called "Batman-mode."

"It's Superman. We've heard about Robin. How is he?" Bruce heard the voice of a certain Kryptonian in his ear.

"He woke up a while back, but he's asleep now. Leslie and J'onn announced him stable, but he still has a high fever. Tell J'onn he woke up," Bruce added, keeping his voice quiet.

"Alright."

"That the only reason you called?" Bruce asked, skeptical.

"Well…no. We have a situation in Austria. It's Lobo, he's on another raid. He's acquired and activated some sort of technology that J'onn and I aren't familiar with. We're the only ones available. We need you. I-I know you're with Richard but- "

"I understand," Bruce interjected. He held back a sigh with difficulty. "Where in Austria is he?"

"In Graz. Sending you coordinates now," Clark said.

"Acknowledged. I'll meet you there," Bruce said, and he disconnected.

Bruce let out the sigh he had restrained, looking at Dick's face again. He didn't want to leave the boy's side, but he knew Lobo could be dangerous.

He withdrew his hand from Dick's hair and tucked the blankets more snuggly around his son's body. Then, he pressed his com again, contacting the Bat Cave.

"Master Bruce." Alfred's voice sounded immediately. "Is Master Dick awake?"

"Yes," Bruce said. "Well, he's asleep again, but he did wake up. I have been called to Austria. Lobo's causing trouble again."

"Very well, sir. I assume you're going to assign Master Dick's teammates on the task of watching him? And perhaps Master Barry as well?"

"Yes."

"Do not worry, sir." Alfred immediately sensed the anxiety in Bruce's voice. "Master Dick will be fine."

"I know. I'll see you soon, Alfred."

"Yes, you will. Good night, Master Bruce." Alfred was the one to end the call this time.

Bruce stood up, looking at Dick.

"I'll be back soon, Dickie," he whispered, pulling his cowl back on. "I promise."

And he left the room, going to alert Barry and the team as to what was going on.

* * *

><p>Wally awoke with a jerk, sitting up straight. He rubbed his eyes, the events of the night coming back to him.<p>

"Rob," he breathed, jumping to his feet. He made his way around the coffee table, only to run into the Dark Knight himself.

Wally let out a yelp and his teammates awakened too.

"B-Batman! Where's Robin? Is he awake? Is everything al-?"

"Kid Flash," Batman said and Wally immediately shut up. "Robin is sleeping. His numerous surgeries were successful and he is currently asleep."

Wally and Kaldur sighed simultaneously as M'gann and Conner got up from the loveseat, looking relieved. Artemis gripped Wally's arm, a small smile on her face.

"However," Bruce continued, and the teens stood at attention once again. "I've been called to Austria. Dr. Thompkins can't be here at the moment and Martian Manhunter has returned to the Watchtower. I need you all and Flash to watch over Robin."

"Sure, of course! We'd be more than glad to-"

"That means," Batman growled, cutting Wally off again, "that you must pay precise attention to what I'm about to tell you. Though his surgeries were successful, Robin still has a fever of 104°-"

M'gann gasped and Wally's eyes widened.

"But it will go down in time," Batman went on. "You need to make sure that his temperature does not rise. Also, the knife wounds on Robin's arm and leg need to be cleaned every three hours. It's almost time to clean them again. He has a cold and doesn't have much morphine in his system. When he wakes, you can increase his intake to six mil. Contact both myself and Dr. Thompkins if anything changes for the worse."

The teens all nodded, instantly memorizing all the information Batman had just told them.

"I trust you all will relate everything I've just said to Flash?" Batman said, and the teens nodded again.

"Good. I have to get going. You can contact Dr. Thompkins with the number on the bedside table next to Robin's cot. Is everything clear?" Batman said, his gaze moving over each of the teen's faces- the teens that Robin had risked his life for.

"Yes," Kaldur said.

Batman nodded once and swept off in the direction of where his Batwing was parked. The team could almost see waves of anger and annoyance emitting from Gotham's vigilante.

Lobo had picked a bad day to strike.

* * *

><p>After Batman left, Wally immediately turned to Kaldur, Conner, M'gann, and Artemis.<p>

"Let's go," he said breathlessly, and with that, he zoomed off towards the infirmary, the others pounding in his wake. Conner took a few seconds to dash inside his room and pull on a shirt.

Wally forced himself to stop at the doors of the infirmary. The team walked through the doors as one.

Then they saw him. The boy to whom they all owed their lives.

Robin- Dick- was sound asleep on the bed closest to the door, his chest rising and falling steadily. With the blankets pulled to his shoulders, the team could only see his head, which was turned towards them. His raven hair was tussled and his cheeks held a pink tinge.

Slowly, the teens walked over to the bed. Wally sat in the chair that Bruce had recently occupied while Miss Martian used her telekinesis to bring four more chairs over, as to make less noise.

Artemis, M'gann, and Conner all sat on Robin's left, Kaldur and Wally to his right. All five's eyes were upon their youngest member.

M'gann cried again, silently, as Conner's jaw clenched. Artemis managed to hold back her tears as she took in Robin's condition. Kaldur leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, and rested his head in his hands, still bearing the guilt for what had happened to Robin. Wally's gaze traveled over Dick's face to the tubes attached to the heart monitor and the EEG to the IV drip and bag of blood.

"He's alright," Wally muttered, running a hand over his face. He seemed to be reassuring himself.

"You call this alright?" Conner said stiffly. He leaned forward to gently pull the blanket around Robin down.

M'gann shut her eyes as the others took in the bandages around Robin's chest, torso, arm, and leg. They took in the black brace that covered his whole leg. They took in the small gashes scattered over the Boy Wonder's arms and legs. They took in the sweat glistening on his shoulders and forehead. And they took in the painful expression on Robin's face, even in unconsciousness.

Artemis gripped M'gann's hand as both girls shed silent tears. Kaldur shut his eyes, shaking his head. Conner looked ready to pound something. And Wally stared at Richard's battered body with wide jade eyes.

"P-put the blanket back on him," Wally whispered, desperation coloring his voice.

Artemis reached out and tucked the blanket back around Robin's trembling body. Her hand lingered over his face for a moment, and she pushed his ebony locks back from his closed eyes.

Wally slid his slightly shaking hand under the blanket and held Dick's hand, eyes never leaving Dick's face. There was a brief moment of silence during which the conscious teen wallowed in their thoughts.

The silence was broken when Wally felt Dick's hand twitch in his and Dick suddenly moaned.

Immediately, the teens jumped.

"Is he waking up?" Conner asked, sounding both hopeful and wary.

"I think-"

Wally's words were cut off as Dick let out a cry.

"N-no!" he gasped, and the beeping of the heart monitor sped up. "S-stop! D-don't!"

Dick squirmed under the white blanket. He was still asleep.

"What's happening?" M'gann gasped, her face frightened.

"N-nightmare. He's having a nightmare. He has ones about his family all the-"

Again, Wally's sentence was cut off as Dick screamed again, louder this time.

"N-no! Artemis! W-Wally! Kal- don't touch them!" Dick's voice was desperate. Wally's eyes widened as he realized that Dick was _not _having a nightmare about his family. "Please, _please, _leave t-them alone! C-Conner- M-Megan-"

Dick tossed and turned and the movement made him scream, but due to physical pain this time.

Kaldur, Wally, Conner, Artemis, and M'gann all found their eyes watering again as their baby brother screamed, calling out their names as though his life depended on it.

"P-please, d-don't hurt them…Please, please…t-take me-take me…" Dick whimpered, eyes still shut.

"W-wake him up!" M'gann whispered desperately.

Wally sat himself on the bed as quickly and carefully as he could, trying not to jostle Dick too much.

The redhead gripped Dick's hand tighter, careful not to disturb the wires on his body.

"Rob- Dickie, it's okay!" His voice was gentle as he tried to rouse his best friend. "We're alright-"

Dick let out another cry as M'gann came to sit on the bed too. She gently ran a hand through his ebony hair.

"Robin. Richard," she soothed, trying to steady her voice. "Wake up- wake up, you're okay."

The remaining teens squished onto the bed as Dick's baby blue's fluttered.

Conner spoke first.

"Robin?" he asked tentatively. He was still sitting on Dick's left, right next to the younger ebony's head.

At the sound of Superboy's voice, Dick's eyes opened fully and he gasped again.

"G-guys?" he whispered, eyes glassy with fever.

"Yeah…yeah, we're all here," Conner said, nodding.

Dick let the words wash over him and suddenly, his arms latched onto the Kryptonian clone.

Robin hugged Conner the best he could in his current position, sobbing. Conner responded by doing what Bruce had done earlier and moving Dick into a sitting position. He pressed Robin's head into his strong chest as the Boy Wonder cried.

Kaldur and Wally both reached out and held onto Robin too, comforting the sobbing thirteen-year-old. The two girls did the same.

Dick cried for almost twenty minutes, Conner continuing to hold him tight.

Dick's tears finally slowed and Wally was the first to speak.

"It's okay, Dick," he whispered, stroking Dick's hair. "We're all okay- you saved us."

"N-no-he-he killed all of y-you. He h-hurt you a-and-" Dick stopped, burying his face in Conner's chest again.

"It was just a nightmare," Artemis said gently. "He didn't touch us."

Dick nodded slowly and after a moment, Conner gently laid him back down.

"Are you alright?" M'gann asked, and she realized how stupid the question was. Of course he wasn't alright.

"Y-yeah…" Dick responded, albeit reluctantly. He bit his lip hard as agony coursed through him from the little that his body had shifted.

Wally got off the bed quickly, heading over to the IV bag, intending to add more morphine. Artemis stood too.

"Um- maybe we should get Flash," she said pointedly.

"Oh. Oh yeah," Wally said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Where is he?" Conner asked, getting up as well.

"No idea," Wally responded, looking at Dick. The boy was wincing and Wally could tell he was trying hard not to cry out.

"You all go look for him," Kaldur said, speaking for the first time. "I shall stay here with Richard until you return."

The other teens could tell that their leader wanted to speak to Robin and they left without comment, though Wally did glance back from the infirmary doors.

Once the team left and the doors slid shut, Kaldur turned back to Robin, trying to figure out what he was going to say.

_How am I to apologize for this? I was the leader, I have no excuse as to why I let Robin sacrifice himself, how can I-?_

"K-Kaldur?" Dick spoke in a strained whisper.

"Yes, my friend?" Kaldur said, and his voice wavered.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Dick whispered, and Kaldur realized that the younger was crying again.

"No. You have no reason whatsoever to apologize," Kaldur said, and then he was crying too. "You saved us all. We owe our lives to you. But that does not justify why I let you- let you surrender yourself. I cannot forgive myself for that. And I am sorry. I am so, so sorry."

"N-no," Dick whispered, wincing as he reached out to take Kaldur's hand. He gripped it tightly.

"It wasn't your fault- it was the J-Joker. He would have k-killed- he would have killed all of y-you-" Dick found more sobs tearing from his throat, increasing the pain in his body.

Kaldur moved closer to Dick and the younger reached out with his arms, letting Kaldur's hand slip out of his grip.

With a small smile at the sweet, childish act from the boy who usually was not touchy-feely, Kaldur'ahm carefully gathered his youngest member's warm body in a hug.

The Atlantian rubbed the Boy Wonder's back softly, his webbed hand moving in small circles.

"I c-can't l-lose anyone e-else," Dick sobbed, and Kaldur's heart stung at the words. "I c-can't l-lose any of y-you."

It was at that moment that Kaldur realized that this boy was like a brother to him- even more so than Garth.

A little brother- a baby brother. But one who was wiser than him in some aspects. In fact, Kaldur often turned to the Boy Wonder for advice or help, rather than any of the older team members.

And he was more than that too. _Robin _was the leader. Robin was his next-in-command. His replacement.

Dick clung to Kaldur tighter as the minutes droned on, Kaldur'ahm still rubbing his back.

"You will be an amazing leader one day, Richard," Kaldur murmured. "A better one than I ever could be."

Dick merely snuggled closer to his leader and neither spoke for a few moments.

Dick adjusted his position a bit and let out an involuntary whimper of pain. Kaldur frowned, looking towards the doors.

A moment later, said doors swooshed open and Flash came in, cowl still down. Wally, Artemis, M'gann, and Conner came in behind him. Kaldur noticed that M'gann had cleaned her organic clothes and that the speedster and archer had replaced their bloody uniforms too.

By now, Dick's tears had subsided. The ebony slowly detached himself from Kaldur, leaning back into his pillows that Kaldur had propped up for him.

Flash gave a smile at the sight of his conscious 'nephew.' He walked over to the bed.

"Hiya, Dickie," he said, reaching down to ruffle the boy's raven locks. "You okay?"

Dick gave another soft smile as he nodded, but even the densest person could have seen the agony in his face.

"Good," Barry smiled. "I'm just gonna check your temperature and then give ya more morphine, okay?"

"We must also clean his stab wounds," Kaldur reminded the senior speedster.

"Oops. That too," Barry said, blushing a bit. He took a thermometer out of one of the drawers and rinsed it quickly. He walked back over to Dick. The boy obediently opened his mouth as Barry lowered the device.

After a moment, a beeping noise sounded and Barry looked at the digital numbers.

"102.5°," he said, flinching. "It's gone down, but it's still high. Wally, could you-?"

Wally was already at the small refrigerator, taking out a cold press. He zoomed back over to Robin's side and placed the pack on his best friend's blazing forehead. Dick shivered and Wally grimaced apologetically.

"Now to clean the wounds," Barry said, opening another drawer and extracting fresh gauze, a rag, and cleaning alcohol.

Kaldur stood and joined M'gann, Artemis, and Conner at the foot of Dick's bed as Wally instead moved to sit where Kaldur had been a moment ago.

Barry carefully unwrapped the bandages around Dick's left forearm, and the junior heroes let out a collective gasp at the stitched, painful-looking injury.

Barry soaked the rag with alcohol, looking sympathetically at the Boy Wonder. "This is gonna hurt."

"Already does," Dick breathed, closing his eyes. Wally reached out and took his hand.

The blonde man rubbed at the sight of the stab wound and Dick stiffened, squeezing Wally's hand.

"Almost done, kiddo," Barry said quietly as he moved onto the wound on Dick's leg.

This time, Dick let out a muffled cry as his leg seemed to burn white-hot. M'gann was crying again.

"There," Barry said brightly, tossing the rag into the trash can. He unrolled a length of gauze and securely wrapped it around the freshly cleaned wounds. "You alright, Dickie?"

Dick gave a barely noticeable nod, still holding Wally's hand.

"Now," Barry said, his expression becoming more serious. "I need you to _not _be a Bat for a moment and answer this honestly. On a scale of one to ten, how much pain are you in?"

Dick took a moment to acknowledge the discomfort coursing through his body. He moved a bit, trying to sit up straighter.

"E-eight," he gasped, clenching his eyes shut again.

The teens paled as Barry nodded, picking up a syringe of morphine. Going over to the IV drip, he carefully injected a fair amount of the narcotic into the bag.

"That should do it," Barry muttered as Dick's eyes started to slide shut. He looked at Wally, Conner, Artemis, M'gann, and Kaldur.

"I'll go contact Batman, update him on Robin's condition," he said. "You guys can-"

"We're not leaving him," Artemis said firmly. The others nodded, already moving back into the chairs that they were sitting in before.

Barry gave another smile, nodding. "I'll run on home for a moment too, Walls," he said, addressing his nephew. "Iris'll be wondering where I've gone off to. I'll let your parents know where you are too. You know how to contact me, but I'll be back soon anyway."

Wally nodded as his uncle waved and left the room in a flash of red. The redhead turned his attention back to Dick.

The ebony was well on his way to sleep, but his expression still held traces of pain.

Not letting go of the boy's hand, Wally used his other hand's thumb to rub small, soothing circles onto Dick's arm, away from the IV tap.

After a few minutes, Dick's breathing was fairly even, and his eyes were shut completely. M'gann gently lowered him from his propped up position.

"Never met anyone so brave," Artemis muttered. "Never."

"And- and his past," Kaldur said quietly. "How can one go through so much and still- still act how Richard does?"

"It's admirable," Wally sighed, still rubbing Dick's arm. "And when you guys actually hear his story-" He stopped, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I could never do what he does," he finished, gazing at his best friend.

Silence fell over the group, broken occasionally by Dick's soft coughs.

"He will pay," Conner growled. "Whatever Batman says about not pursuing the Joker. _We _will be the ones to make him pay."

"Don't worry, Supey," Wally snorted. "We just have to get to him before Daddy Bats does."

"Shh," M'gann hissed, gesturing to the boy on the bed. Dick had stirred slightly.

Everyone immediately shut up, looking intently at the Boy Wonder. The youngest slept on and there was more silence.

"Don't worry, Dickie," Wally whispered, leaning forward and running a gentle hand through the boy's dark hair. "That creep's gonna get it."

* * *

><p>Flash returned to the cave about an hour later, just as Batman zetaed back as well; his Batwing had been totaled- again.<p>

"Hey," Barry greeted, slowing down at Bruce's side. "How'd it go in Austria?"

"Fine. Lobo's been taken care of and the tech he activated wasn't harmful," Bruce said, annoyance in his voice as he pulled his cowl down. His costume was ripped in several places but he hadn't recieved any injuries. "Where were you?"

"I ran on home for a bit," Barry replied as the two Leaguers made their way to the infirmary.

They entered the medical room to see an endearing sight- not that Batman would ever say that or anything.

Wally was lying on the bed on Dick's left side, M'gann on his right. Dick was snuggled between them, holding M'gann's hand. Artemis was half sitting, half lying down besides Wally, her head on his shoulder. Conner was sprawled at the foot of the bed, Kaldur curled up next to him, a hand resting on Dick's thigh. Taking into account the wires on Dick's body and the bulky leg brace, how the six heroes fit on the bed was a conundrum.

"D'awww," Barry grinned, zipping over and laying blankets over the teens' sleeping forms. "They're like a little family."

Bruce said nothing, instead moving forward and pulling off his glove. He gently laid his callused hand against Dick's forehead. He let out a small breath when he felt that the fever was almost gone.

He moved back to Barry's side after smoothing his surrogate son's hair.

"So," Barry said as the two looked at the sleeping team. "You gonna let them go after Joker?"

Bruce hesitated for a moment, his eyes traveling over the group of bodies squished onto the bed, taking in the protective aura the older teens seemed to give off even in unconsciousness. He remembered the way Dick had cried out when he had first awakened, asking for his team.

"Yes," Bruce said finally, smirking a bit. "As much as I'd like to put that clown in a body cast myself- they deserve to do it."

* * *

><p><strong>Whew, I think this was my longest chapter! I'm sorry if anyone was OOC; it's getting harder to imagine the characteristics of the team since they're all five freaking years older now! Grr…<strong>

**Dick is really OOC, isn't he? **

**Okay, the important part I talked about in the beginning:**

**As of Monday, I will be on hiatus as a writer and as a beta because I have finals and a special exam I need to do good on in order to take AP history next year…so, my parents said no FF until exams are over…which is, like, June 20th for me. *Cries* So, I won't be updating, beta-ing, or replying to PMs or reviews, okay? Good.**

**THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU SHOULDN'T LEAVE REIEWS!**

**I'm hoping to make it to 200 when I check back in June. I'll update either the Tenacious Trio or Treasonist right now too, so keep an eye out!**

**I'll have an epilogue for this when I come back.**

**Again, please review!**

**~Zara**


	6. Preview

**AN:**

**This is just a preview cuz this is taking much longer than I thought it would *ducks to avoid thrown objects***

**I am trying to finish this asap!**

**THIS TAKES PLACE ONE WEEK AFTER THE END OF CHAPTER 5! DICK IS STILL AT THE CAVE, NOT THE BATCAVE, EVEN THOUGH ALFIE PREPARED HIS BED AND EVERYTHING ;)**

**~Zara**

* * *

><p>The team had for the most part recovered from the shock of encountering the Joker. They hadn't received any missions, and they spent as much time as they could with their baby brother.<p>

Dick was recovering, slowly but surely. His stab wounds were now mostly painless and the burn on his thigh was healing too. The bullet wound in his stomach was recuperating very well, especially when the fact that he was shot at such close range was taken into account.

His knee ached at times, but given how badly it had been broken, that was to be expected. The infected cuts on his chest stung especially at night, but Leslie had said that they would be fine in a few more days. The broken ribs, though, made moving without gasping almost impossible. Dick was used to it by now.

His main problem was the fact that he wasn't allowed to get out of bed. The team had learned how hard it was to keep a fidgety acrobat in bed. Superboy had caught the boy trying to sneak out of the infirmary about four times, each time scooping the boy into his arms, careful of the leg, and plopping him back on the bed.

Many members of the Justice League had dropped by to see Robin. Wonder Woman had turned up with Aquaman and the Green Lanterns in tow. Superman and Green Arrow had came by the next day. The team had seen for the first time Robin's relationships with his 'aunts and uncles'.

Dick was also plagued by new nightmares. Since the infirmary doors were soundproof, it had taken them a while to discover this fact. But after two days, the team had noticed the dark circles under the boy's blue eyes and that same night, Superboy's super hearing had caught the extremely faint sound of screaming. He had alerted the others (Wally, Kaldur, and Artemis had started spending nights at the cave too) and they had all rushed to the infirmary to see Dick writhing on his bed, shrieking.

The nightmares had decreased somewhat but the team still held Robin many a night until the Boy Wonder stopped shaking and crying and fell back asleep. Seeing their strong hacker break down and cry in front of them for hours into the night reopened the fresh scars on each of the teen's hearts.

Batman checked in as often as he could on his baby bird. Actually, Bruce Wayne checked in as often as he could: now that the whole team knew his secret identity, he tended to come to the cave in suits and dress pants.

He was keeping close tabs on the Joker, promising to tell the team when he pinpointed the clown's location. Every part of him was aching to go after the clown himself, but he restrained himself.

Now, Batman, not Bruce, was in the infirmary, his heart aching as he woke Dick from yet another nightmare.

"Dick," he whispered, shaking the sleeping boy's shoulder, "Dick, chum, wake up, it's not real-"

_Endless maniacal laughter, the sound of metal hitting flesh, screams, blood, and pain, so much pain-_

Dick gave a gasp as he opened his eyes.

It took him a minute to realize that it he was in the mountain's infirmary and that Bruce's gloved hand was pressing against his heaving chest.

"You good?" Bruce asked gently, pulling his cowl down.

Dick managed a nod, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. He leaned back into his pillows, swallowing his sobs.

"W-when did you g-get here?" he greeted, giving a watery smile.

Bruce pursed his lips, still obviously concerned, but he saw Dick's pointed look and sighed.

"About twenty minutes ago," he said. "I came to check in."

"You found him." It was a statement, not a question.

* * *

><p><strong>Yuppp, decided to leave it there. Sorry! I have writer's block.<strong>

**Again, the rest will be up ASAP!**

**~Zara**


	7. Epilogue

**AN:**

**Here it is! Sacrifice's epilogue! I hope you guys enjoy this! I will really miss writing this story :( It feels really weird to hit the 'complete' button…**

**September 29…those two words hurt…soooo badddd**

**Anyway, review! And special thanks to all those who have been reviewing!**

**THIS TAKES PLACE ONE WEEK AFTER THE END OF CHAPTER 5! DICK IS STILL AT THE CAVE, NOT THE BATCAVE, EVEN THOUGH ALFIE PREPARED HIS BED AND EVERYTHING ;)**

**~Zara**

* * *

><p>The team had for the most part recovered from the shock of encountering the Joker. They hadn't received any missions, and they spent as much time as they could with their baby brother.<p>

Dick was recovering, slowly but surely. His stab wounds were now mostly painless and the burn on his thigh was healing too. The bullet wound in his stomach was recuperating very well, especially when the fact that he was shot at such close range was taken into account.

His knee ached at times, but given how badly it had been broken, that was to be expected. The infected cuts on his chest stung especially hard at random moments, but Leslie had said that they would be fine in a few more days. The broken ribs, though, made moving without gasping almost impossible. Dick was used to it by now.

His main problem was the fact that he wasn't allowed to get out of bed. The team had learned how hard it was to keep a fidgety acrobat in bed. Superboy had caught the boy trying to sneak out of the infirmary about four times, each time scooping the boy into his arms, careful of the leg, and plopping him back on the bed.

Many members of the Justice League had dropped by to see Robin. Wonder Woman had turned up with Aquaman and the Green Lanterns in tow. Superman and Green Arrow had came by the next day. The team had seen for the first time Robin's relationships with his 'aunts and uncles'.

Dick was also plagued by new nightmares. Since the infirmary doors were soundproof, it had taken them a while to discover this fact. But after two days, the team had noticed the dark circles under the boy's blue eyes and that same night, Superboy's super hearing had caught the extremely faint sound of screaming. He had alerted the others (Wally, Kaldur, and Artemis had started spending nights at the cave too) and they had all rushed to the infirmary to see Dick writhing on his bed, shrieking.

The nightmares had decreased somewhat but the team still held Robin many a night until the Boy Wonder stopped shaking and crying and fell back asleep. Seeing their strong hacker break down and cry in front of them for hours into the night reopened the fresh scars on each of the teen's hearts.

Batman checked in as often as he could on his baby bird. Actually, Bruce Wayne checked in as often as he could: now that the whole team knew his secret identity, he tended to come to the cave in suits and dress pants.

He was keeping close tabs on the Joker, promising to tell the team when he pinpointed the clown's location. Every part of him was aching to go after the clown himself, but he restrained himself.

Now, Batman, not Bruce, was in the infirmary, his heart aching as he woke Dick from yet another nightmare.

"Dick," he whispered, shaking the sleeping boy's shoulder. "Dick, chum, wake up, it's not real-"

_Endless maniacal laughter, the sound of metal hitting flesh, screams, blood, and pain, so much pain-_

Dick gave a gasp as he opened his eyes.

It took him a minute to realize that it he was in the mountain's infirmary and that Bruce's gloved hand was pressing against his heaving chest.

"You good?" Bruce asked gently, pulling his cowl down.

Dick managed a nod, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. He leaned back into his pillows, swallowing his sobs.

"W-when did you g-get here?" he greeted, giving a watery smile.

Bruce pursed his lips, still obviously concerned, but he saw Dick's pointed look and sighed.

"About twenty minutes ago," he said. "I came to check in."

"You found him." It was a statement, not a question.

Bruce inwardly chuckled at his ward's ability to read him so easily but quickly sobered due to the topic of their upcoming conversation.

"Yes," he said darkly, his brown eyes clouding with hatred. "I did."

Dick swallowed, steadying his voice. "And- and you're going to let them go?" he asked, sapphire orbs filling with apprehension.

"Yes," Bruce said again. "They've got the right to, even more than me."

Dick looked down at his blanketed lap, bangs falling into his eyes. His fingers fiddled with the white blanket.

Bruce was not surprised when he saw a droplet fall onto the blanket, fading as it absorbed into the cotton material.

"Dick?" he said softly, reaching out and cupping Robin's cheek in his hand. "Richard-?"

Dick looked up, eyes glistening as tears made their way from them, tiny droplets clinging to his long eyelashes.

Heart aching again, Bruce moved to sit on the bed, taking his little bird into his arms. Dick shook with barely suppressed sobs, laying his head on his mentor's shoulder.

"Dickie," Bruce said, voice still softer than ever, "they'll be fine, they can handle the-"

Dick let out a whimpering noise and Bruce quieted, starting to rock Dick back and forth until the younger spoke.

"I don't want them to go," Dick whispered, clutching Bruce's cape in his hands. "I can't- I can't lose any of them-"

"Richard," Bruce said, his tone still gentle but not as much as before; he needed to reassure his partner. "You know they are able fighters. They will be prepared this time, it'll be okay."

Dick didn't speak. Bruce didn't either, holding onto him until the shaking stopped and Dick composed himself.

Pulling back and leaning into his pillows again, Dick cleared his throat slightly. "What time is it?" he asked; he knew that he had fallen asleep at around noon.

"Almost two o'clock," Bruce responded, smoothing Dick's hair back. "The team is training."

Dick nodded slowly, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Well," he said, a grin slowly spreading across his face, "go tell 'em!"

Bruce rolled his eyes, smiling nonetheless as he marveled at how quickly Dick could be cheerful again. "I thought you didn't want them to go?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course I don't," Dick responded. "But _they _want to and they've been waiting forever for news."

Bruce stood and pulled on his cowl, becoming the Dark Knight once again. "Alright," he said, another smile playing on his lips. "I'll tell them. And I'll be heading back to Gotham afterwards: I have a meeting at Wayne Corps. I'll have Black Canary come check up on you."

Dick nodded again, and he quickly reached up and hugged his mentor, managing to hold back a wince as his ribs protested against the movement. "See you later, then," he said, pulling back. "Tell Alfie I said hi."

"I'll relay the message," Batman said and, with another small smile at his bedridden ward, he left.

* * *

><p>He found the team in the training area. Black Canary wasn't there, but the team was training on its own, sparring in groups.<p>

They stopped once they realized that Batman was there.

"Did you find him?" Wally asked immediately, running over to where the Dark Knight stood in the entrance of the room. The others looked over.

Batman smirked and Wally grinned.

* * *

><p>Kaldur, M'gann, Conner, Artemis, and Wally made their way to the infirmary, all of them in uniforms and ready for departure.<p>

"Richard will want to talk to you before you leave," Batman had said during their short briefing. "Make sure you see him."

Wally went up to the doors first, peeking his head in. He turned back to the team, a finger on his lips.

Carefully, the teens entered the dimly lit room.

Dick was asleep, snuggled under the covers, a lump indicating where his leg brace was. He stirred as the five team members seated themselves in the chairs that had been placed around his bed.

Baby blues opened to look at the teens. Dick gave a small smile, making to sit up, but then recoiled in pain as the cuts on his chest burned.

Wally jumped out of his chair and propped Dick back against his pillows. "Easy," he said, eyes worried. "What hurts?"

"Chest," Dick gasped out, eyes clenched shut, back arching slightly.

Wally gently rubbed a hand across the bandages on Dick's chest. "Better?"

"Y-yeah."

Wally kept rubbing Dick's chest until the pained expression on the ebony's face faded.

Dick cleared his throat slightly as he sat up straighter, looking at the others. He quickly took in that they were all in uniform.

"S-so," he said, cursing himself as his voice wavered, "you're leaving?"

Artemis leaned forward, ruffling the boy's hair. "Yeah," she said softly. "In a bit."

"'Sides," Wally chimed in, "we don't think Supey can wait any longer."

Conner gave a mock growl as the others laughed, Dick settling for smiling to not aggravate his ribs.

After the laughter died down, Aqualad moved closer to the bed. "Yes, we are leaving soon. But Batman told us you wished to speak to us and we intended to see you as it was."

Dick gave a tiny nod but the look on his face spoke volumes. M'gann leaned forward too and gripped his hand.

"Robin," she said gently, moving her other hand and gently caressing his cheek. "We'll be fine. We'll be careful."

Dick swallowed and then he was crying again.

It had become something of a process. One of the older teens would move onto the bed and hold Dick in their arms while the others would shush him. They'd been doing this for the youngest whenever he had a nightmare.

Now, it was Aqualad who held Dick in his strong arms while the females and Wally piled onto the bed too. Conner stood next to the bed, hovering protectively.

"Robin," Artemis whispered as the Boy Wonder shook. "We can handle it-"

"Yeah, bro," Wally interjected, rubbing the back of Dick's hand. "But the longer we take, the more chance he has of-"

"I k-know," Dick said, face in Kaldur's shoulder. He pulled away, wiping his tears away, becoming whole again.

"J-just promise," he said, big blue eyes surveying his friends- his family. "Promise me you'll be okay."

"We promise," Conner said, moving forward and putting a hand on the younger ebony's shoulder.

Dick nodded again, a small smile on his face as the others stood.

"Well," Wally said cheerfully. "See ya soon, Dick!"

"Yeah," Dick said, smile widening as the others walked to the doors, M'gann kissing him on the cheek as she left. "And guys?"

The older teens turned.

Dick grinned. "Kick his ass."

* * *

><p>On the bioship, the atmosphere was a mix of excitement and caution.<p>

Wally was jittering in his seat, chewing on a protein bar. "I can't decide what to do first! I'm thinking of making a funnel cloud around him or- ooh, maybe I should-!"

"Just shut _up_, Baywatch," Artemis groaned, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I'm thinking Superboy isn't going to leave any of the clown for us."

Kid Flash opened his mouth to retort but Miss Martian stopped the two

"We're here," she said, landing the bioship next to the rundown building the Joker was taking refuge in.

"Finally!" Wally said, jumping out of his seat and zooming to the hatch of the ship. "Let's do this!"

The building was old. Disgusting. Crumbling. Fitting.

The teens entered the building as one, Artemis clenching her bow, Kaldur fingering his water-bearers, and Conner cracking his knuckles.

They found the clown on the first floor of the building, sitting in the corner on the tiled floor. He was humming tunelessly, shuffling a deck of playing cards.

He looked up as the team entered. "Oh, why, hello!" he cackled, standing up and brushing off his suit. "Back so soon?"

He didn't have time to say anything else before Superboy gave a roar and charged at the villain. He grabbed him by the lapels and shoved him into the wall, hard enough to make it crack.

The clown pouted. "Well, that was rather rude! I didn't even get to finish saying hello!"

"We're here to make you pay," Superboy hissed, nose-to-nose with the white-faced man- monster, "for what you did to our teammate."

"Oh, of course!" Joker exclaimed, clapping a gloved hand to his forehead. "I-"

Conner cut him off again, tossing the clown into the air and then delivering a powerful punch to his gut.

The Clown Prince of Crime flew some ten feet, landing right at the feet of the others. Kaldur had whipped out his water-bearers and Artemis had an arrow in her bow, cocked right at the monster in front of them.

The Joker grinned, rubbing his stomach. "How is he? Boy Blunder, I mean. You know, I'm already starting to miss-"

Wally swung his leg and kicked the clown as hard as he could. His foot connected with the Joker's mouth and they all heard the oddly satisfying crunch of breaking teeth.

Joker sat up, spitting red out of his mouth. "My, my, _some_body's not feeling too happy. What's wrong, Ketchup Kid?"

"Don't you talk about him," Wally snarled. "Don't you _dare _talk about Robin."

"You mean don't do this?" Joker giggled, sitting up. He opened his mouth and spoke in a sing-song voice.

"Robin, Robin, Robin-"

With an angry yell, Kaldur swung one of his water-bearers at him, hitting him in the side of the head. The clown fell over again, wheezing.

"Struck a nerve, have I?" he said from the ground. "And you _still _didn't answer me! How is Boy-?"

Superboy dove again, fists pummeling the Joker so fast that they were blurs. The two rolled, a jumble of arms and fists.

"Leave some for us!" Artemis called, tossing her bow aside and clenching her fists instead. She moved after the clown and her teammate.

Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Kaldur followed suit.

And they fought. They fought hard, just like their Boy Wonder would have had he been there at their sides.

* * *

><p><strong>I really hope I didn't blow it with the ending… I know it was waaay too rushed but...<strong>

**Ahem, anyways, that's it for this story! I hope you all enjoyed it! Leave a review please!**

**Expect a new Tenacious Trio chap tomorrow! I have one all done and ready to roll.**

**Ba bye!**

**Oh yeah, guess what I was doing before finishing this? Drawing Nightwing's finger stripes! It's the first time that I actually enjoyed drawing hands! I think it turned out pretty good. I might use it as a cover for one of my stories ;)**

**Finger stripes...hnngg, come back, pleaseeeee...:(**

**~Zara**


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